My Imaginary Friend
by FunnyLover13
Summary: In an orphanage in Hawley, a little girl plays with her new imaginary friend. At first, the nuns think it's just harmless child's play. But...when the chaos begins to commence, they realize that her little friend may not be all that imaginary... A Slenderman Story (Story Three of Slenderman Mini-Series).
1. His Name is Mister

**My Imaginary Friend**  
**Rated T-M**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Slenderman. Also, I do not encourage any actions taken to summon Slenderman, for he is merely fiction.**

**Please remember that, while I go describe gore in my storied involving Slenderman, I, in no way, condone the actions that take place. It is merely creative writing and should be portrayed as such. That being said, I do hope you all enjoy my story.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"What are you drawing, Kathy?"

The little girl looked up at the blonde nun smiling, showing a few missing teeth.

"I'm drawing a picture of me and my friend, Sister Helen. See?"

The adorable little girl happily showed the young woman her drawing:

A picture of her in the forest.

"How nice…" With a small smile, Sister Helen gently took the picture and looked at it.

She saw cute little animals, pretty flowers, and a bright sun...but something was off.

Sister Helen narrowed her eyes to get a good look of it.

In the far back of the picture, there was a man: very tall, pale, and wearing a black suit.

"Who's the man, Kathy?" She asked softly, leaning down to show her.

"Oh." Kathy grabbed the picture to point. "That's my friend! I call him Mister!"

"Well, why is he in the back and not with you and the animals? Doesn't he want to play?"

"No," Kathy replies, shaking her head. "He doesn't like to come out of the woods very much. He says he likes it better there."

Sister Helen raised an eyebrow amusingly but said nothing.

It was probably just an imaginary friend; nothing serious, she assumed.

"Well, it's a wonderful drawing, Kathy." She complimented, smiling sweetly and patting the little girl's blonde head.

"I think it would go nicely on the orphanage's billboard near the playground; that way, it can be there with all the other children's. Would you like that?"

Kathy excitingly shook her head 'yes'.

"Well, c'mon then. Let's go do that. And then you can play with the other children, okay?"

Kathy took her hand softly, and they both walked down the hall towards the playground.

* * *

"So Kathy," Sister Helen started, looking down at the little girl. "When did you meet 'Mister'?"

"I met him last May, when we had the big picnic. He helped me out of the forest when I was lost."

"Ohh. He must be a _very_ good friend, then?"

Kathy nodded, her big eyes shinning. "He even gave me flowers."

She dug into her pocket of her pink dress and pulls out daisies. "Lookie!"

"Those are very nice." Sister Helen pauses and then inquires: "What does he look like?"

"Well...He's skinny and very white like a snowman and very tall, like a building! And, and he's wears a black suit like from _" .Black"_ and he's bald and—"

Sister Helen was smiling as Kathy continued on.

_'Such an overactive imagination.'_ She thought to herself fondly; it always pleased her to see the children so creative here at the orphanage.

However, something immediately caught her attention.

"—and he has no face!"

That almost stopped her in her tracks; Sister Helen turned to gaze at Kathy, eyes slightly widen in confusion.

"No face?" She chuckles. "W-Well then, how does he talk to you?"

"He doesn't!" Kathy explains innocently. "He speaks to me in my mind."

"Y-Your mind?"

"Yeah! Though, I can't really understand what he's says all the time…It's like he's speaking backwards."

"**_BACK-_**wards…?" The young nun didn't know if that was normal for an imaginary friend, but it was pretty adorable to see Kathy so excited about him.

"Yep! But it's weird…even though I can't understand him…I know what he's saying."

"And what would that be?"

Kathy looks up at Sister Helen, her eyes serious for a minute.

"**_I'm coming for you._** That's what he always says before leaving." Then she smiles softly, smiling to the nun sweetly.

"Does he mean that he wants to adopt me? That we'll be friends forever, Sister Helen?"

Softly narrowing her eyes, Sister Helen squeezes Kathy's hand gently and gives her an assuring smile.

"I'm sure he would love to, sweetie."

She tugs her to the playground, seeing many of the child already playing.

"Now let's go join the others."

Kathy nodded happily, following after the nun and hoping to see Mister soon.

* * *

They walk towards the playground, where the rest of the orphan children are playing cheerfully.

Kathy walks over excitedly and soon blends in with the other children, happily shouting and running around.

Sister Helen watches with the other nuns before she calmly walks to the billboard and places the drawing there with thumb tacks.

_'There.'_

She stood back and admired the picture, smiling softly. She thought back to Mister and what Kathy said about him.

_'...A tall man with no face…where do children come up with these things?'_

"Good afternoon, Sister Helen."

The blonde turned to the soft spoken voice and nodded in acknowledgement to the redhead.

"Hello Sister Anna."

They settled down on the porch near the sandbox, watching over the smaller children, and chattered away happily.

The woods loomed ahead over the children, but they all stayed in the surrounding area of the playground getting along well.

Kathy played care-freely with an older girl Gina and the red-headed twins Sarah and Kyle; currently, she was showing them her daisies given to her by Mister near the slides.

"Oooh, _pretty_~!" Sarah cooed, rubbing on the yellow flower petals delicately. "Where did you get them? I though daisies didn't grow around here."

''Mister gave them to me!" Kathy responded boldly, holding the flowers with pride."He's my best friend!"

"Who's Mister?" Kyle asks, holding his rubber ball in his tiny hands.

"He lives in the forest over there." She pointed and the others gazed to the dark woods overlooking the swing set.

"He helped me when I was lost. And he _always_ comes to play with me."

"Wow~! What does he look like?" Sarah asked, her green eyes twinkling and her face showing amazement.

"He's wears a black suit and he's **VERY** tall!" She gestures with her hands.

The others leaned in to hear more, intrigued to know about this "Mister"...

* * *

Meanwhile, Sister Helen watches from afar, smiling at Kathy and her little friends.

"Would you look at that, Sister Anna? Kathy's telling her little friends about her imaginary friend."

Sister Anna looks their way and smiles fondly.

"Little children have it so easy." She says, sighing to herself. "They're able have all the fun they want and not have a _single_ worry..."

Yes... Though..." Sister Helen pauses. "Kathy really believes that he'll come for her. She thinks that her imaginary friend will come to the orphanage to adopt her."

Sister Anna shows a look of understanding, cradling the baby in her arms. "Did she tell you about him? What he looked like?"

"Oh yes. She says he's a very tall and skinny man wearing a black suit. He's very pale, bald and—get this—he has no face."

Lightly giggling, she continues to her friend. "Could you _imagine_ such a thing?"

The redhead had a look of nervousness, something Sister Helen did not expect.

"Anna?"

Sister Anna ponders for a minute before turning to Helen. "That's what she said?"

"Yes…why? Wh-What's wrong?"

Sister Anna opens her mouth, but pauses to say nothing, as if hesitating to make her claim.

"Helen…that's the same thing Ronny said about his imaginary friend…before he disappeared…don't you remember?"

Sister Helen widens her eyes, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Oh my…you're right…"

Then she twists her face in sheer confusion, looking to Kathy.

"Th-That can't be…Kathy doesn't _know_ Ronny…she _**never**_ knew him…he-he disappeared 2 years back before she came here."

"Helen…don't you see what I'm saying? Now I might be over-thinking this but…I-I think Kathy and Ronny met a predator…"

"No…it shouldn't be possible…" Sister Helen says lowly. "There's no one in the woods. There _can't_ be anyone in the woods. M-Maybe it's just a coincidence."

She pats Anna on the shoulder softly, chuckling nervously. "Don't scare me like that, Sister Anna. Kathy knows better than to go off with strangers; we've taught _all_ of the children that."

"I dunno know, Sister Helen." Anna mutters skeptically, looking towards the woods warily.

"It can't be a coincidence that they both have the same imaginary friend. Someone—_**something**_— is in those woods…and I think might be targeting Kathy."

* * *

**End of Chapter One.**

**No worries, though. I will include more during the week ^^**


	2. And He's Very Real

**Chapter 2**

**(And here's chapter 2! Will Kathy be able to prove he's real~?)**

Kathy was busy telling her friends about her amazing friend, and the others seemed amazed by her display.

Except for one girl, Gina.

"There's no _WAY_ he's real." Gina insists, crossing her arms unconvinced.

"There's no such thing as a man as tall as a building. Sister Elizabeth _always_ says no such things exist; you're just making him up."

Kathy's face reddens in embarrassment, and she jumps to her little feet.

"He is **TOO** real!" She ranted, ready to defend her friend.

"And I know he's real! He gave me these flowers! And-and he said he would come for me! I even know when he comes out the woods!" "

Then _show_ us," Gina remarked teasingly. She wasn't trying to be mean, but it was fun to mess with the little blonde.

"If he's so real and your friend, then _certainly_ he would come out of the woods for you. That is…**_IF_** he's real at all."

Her little fists tighten and biting her lip, Kathy accepts the challenge.

"Fine!" She retorts. "I'll show you to him! But we can't do it now with the nuns around; they'll probably stop us from going."

"Okay then," Gina replied. "Then we'll do it tonight, when the lights are out. Then you'll call him out into the middle of the playground. Deal?"

"_DEAL_!"

"Ohh, I can't wait to meet him!" Sarah rejoices, clapping her hands. "This will be so exciting!"

"I hope we'll see him, Kathy. I don't like to be disappointed."

"Don't worry, Gina." Kathy smirks, putting her hands on her hips. "You won't be!"

* * *

Later that night, nearing the 9-o-clock mark, the lights were turned off and all of the orphaned children were put to bed…except for four of them.

Slowly opening her door, Kathy, in her little purple pajamas, sneaks out of her room and tip-toed down the hall. She sneaks to the playground, where the other three, in their pajamas as well, waited for her arrival.

Gina smirked, her arms crossed, as she spotted Kathy appear into the moonlight.

"Glad you could make it, Kathy." She said teasingly. "For a moment, I thought you wouldn't show~"

Kathy gives an adorable smirk, her hands on her hips. "Of course not. I'm here to prove that Mister is real!"

Gina scoffs playfully, walking with the others into the playground. "Then let's get this show on the road."

They turned towards the woods, which looked darker and menacing in the night. The black of the darkness seem to go on forever and the bare trees of the woods seem to tower over the young children.

The twins stayed huddled behind Gina, who braced the woods daringly.

"C'mon, Kathy." She jokes. "Tell him to come out. Go on!"

Kathy, looking back at them, turns to the dark woods, the warm summer air blowing on the branches around. She eyed the darkness, and the way the thin branches seem to reach towards her, hoping to grab and pull her into the darkness.

Gulping, she steps forward towards the dark and cups her mouth with her hands.

"HEY MISTER!" she booms as loud as she can. "CAN YOU COME OUT TO PLAY NOW?! MY FRIENDS WANT TO MEET YOU!"

The wind blows, making a whooshing sound; other than that, nothing.

Crickets chirped in the background as nothing happened.

Biting her lip, Kathy tried again. "C'MON! PLEASE, COULD YOU COME OUT TO SEE ME! YOU PROMISED YOU'D COME OUT WHENEVER! _PLEASE_?!"

… Nothing.

Dejected, she turns back to Gina, who's smiling.

"Hmpf! I guess he's not _coming_, is he Kathy?"

The blonde girl tried not to let the tears of frustration slip from her eyes and down her face.

"I-I—"

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING OUTSIDE?!"

All four of them turn to see an angry Sister Elizabeth rush to them.

"Si-Sister Elizabeth." Gina gulps, bracing herself for one of her lectures.

"What is the meaning of this? Why aren't you children in bed?"

"W-We—"

"We came to see Kathy's friend!" Sarah replied eagerly for a nervous Gina.

Sister Elizabeth frowned in slight confusion. "Her friend?"

"Yeah!" Kyle agrees, smiling happily. "She said he lives in the woods! And that he's as high as a building!"

The older nun glances sternly as Kathy, who doesn't dare look at her.

"...Well," She huffs, fixing her glasses. "You children will follow me back into the house. In the morning, some SERIOUS consequences will be dealt with. Now come along."

The four children groaned, reluctantly following the older brunette woman back to the orphanage.

Giving a back glance, Kyle does a double-take before his eyes widen.

"Wow—LOOK!"

He points excitedly towards the woods, and the other children all look back; Gina widens her eyes in shock and Sarah gasps in awe.

"It's him!"

There, in the darkness of the night, stood a man 7-8 feet tall and thin, almost being mistaken as a tree. He wore a black suit that blended into the dark and he had skin as pale as the moon.

Not to mention….no face at all.

"MISTER!"

Kathy ran to her friend without hesitation, happy to see him.

Sister Elizabeth felt Kathy's hand slip from hers, and she huffs in irritation, turning to look back.

"What is it n—"

The woman's brown eyes widen and her glasses fall from her face as she gazes towards the tall man.

"...Oh my Lord..."

She stumbles down to her feet, shaking in sheer terror as the man steps calmly out of the woods and into the moonlight where she could see him and his faceless features.

"MISTER!"

The little blonde girl reaches out with her arms and hugs his leg happily. "I knew you would come!"

The man says nothing as his head looks down at the young child; slowly, he places a hand onto her head and strokes her hair, a seemly gentle gesture.

He then glances up to see the others; two of them excited to see him, one showing a mixture of disbelief and panic, and the last showing fear.

Kathy glances back at the others and reaches out with a bright smile.

"Well? What are you _waiting_ for? Come meet him!"

In all of her excitement, Sarah rushes out, pulling Kyle with her, to go meet him.

"**NO!**"

Sister Elizabeth grabs the twins despite their protests, and pushes them behind Gina. She slowly gets onto her feet and makes her way to Kathy, her gaze never leaving the pale man's faceless head.

"K-Kathy dear." She says as sweetly as she can, though her growing fear wavered in her voice. "Get away from him."

"But why?" Kathy asks innocently, his hand stopping her from tilting her head.

She didn't feeling the man's large hand tightens its hold on her head, and her eyes blinked confused at the nun's panic.

"Mister's a nice man. He won't hurt anyone. He gave me flowers…"

"I don't care _WHAT_ he gave you. You shouldn't be **_near_** him. Now, get away from him…"

Kathy's happy face frowns up and her hold on his leg tightens. "But he's going to adopt me. I don't _wanna_ leave him."

Sister Elizabeth grits her teeth, panic in her soul of what he would do to the naive little girl.

"Child, come _**HERE**_! That's not a man! Th-That _**THING**_ is a monster!"

"NO!" Kathy bellows, very offended by the sister's hateful words.

"He's **NOT** a monster! He's my friend and we're gonna be together forever! H-He wouldn't _HURT_ me!"

In a rush, the woman reaches for Kathy to yank her away. "N-Nonsense! It's not safe! Come child; get away from that-that th—"

**_Namow, gniod uoy era tahw? (1)_**

Sister Elizabeth pauses, her eyes widen.

_'...Wh-What?'_

She heard a deep voice croak sharply in the back of her mind; it sounded so cold, demanding…so emotionless.

The nun looks up at the tall slender man, her whole being shaking as he towered above. His shadow cast a menacing darkness over her and the children, blocking out the moonlight.

Kathy looks up at him, sniffing and rubbing away tears.

"Mister?"

…Silence echoed in the air…

"Miste—"

The pale man, with his pale white bony hand, yanks Kathy from his leg and flings her to the side, ripping a startled yelp from her tiny body. He quickly descends upon the brunette nun, his faceless head seeming to focus on her.

**_Enim s'tahw ekat dna yrt ot uoy era ohw? (2)_**

A deep shiver threads through Sister Elizabeth's veins and down her spine, but she dares not to crumble to her feet before him. The voice echoed in her mind, getting louder.

**_Em rewsna! (3)_**

She flings, shaking terribly.

"M-Mister…?" Kathy looks up at him, concerned by the anger in his voice. "M-mister...D-don't hurt her…"

Sarah and Kyle were shaking, crying behind Gina, who watched the man's every move in stunned silence.

**_Luos rouy ekat dna ouy llik llahs I. Ouy llik! (4)_**

The older brunette began to back away. "...G-Get out of my head…"

He slides closer to Sister Elizabeth, ignoring her plead and standing directly in front of her.

Sweat beaded and slipped down her face, which was drained of its actual color. Blood rushed through her body, her heart racing; yet the pressure of his presence was heavy and made her cold with fear.

She backed away; in return, he slithered forward.

**_Em morf n_****_ur t'nac ouy…Edih ot erehwon s'ereht… (5)_**

The voice echoed deeper into her mind, getting louder…

**_Ouy dnif syawla ll'I… Em morf epacse t'nac ouy… (6)_**

"Get out of my head…"

Finally cracking, she grabs the sides of her head in pain and bends down, crying out in agony and fear.

"DAMN IT ALL!" She screams, shaking where she stood.

"GET. OUT. OF. MY. **HEAD**!"

_**...ON... (7)**_

It happened so fast...

The screams of the children and the woman's startled gasp barely let their throats as the black slimy tendrils shot out of the man's dark black suit and ceased the nun.

Hanging in the air, body dangling in the moonlight, the children whimpered and cried as the man brought Sister Elizabeth to his pale head.

"NO!" Kathy gets to her feet, running to him. "MISTER, STOP! DON'T HURT HER! _PLEASE_! ST—"

The air was knocked out of her tiny body as a tendril slammed into her side and swatted her away in anger.

Her body landed with a thud near the slide, not moving to get up.

"Kathy!" Gina cried out in fear, the twins sobbing behind her.

The black tendrils surround the nun, wrapping around her neck and choking her.

Blood dripped from her mouth as the things tightened their hold on her; her hands dug desperately into the black flesh to ease the pain.

"N-No…"

The pale man lowers his head to her face and the unthinkable happens…

Sister Elizabeth began to panic as his flesh starts to open.

With her eyes widen in fear, the nun watches, the children watch, they **ALL** watch as the man's face begins to break apart.

It started slow…tearing in places where the mouth should have been…

Then the eyes…

Then the nose…

The twins scream out in terror as the flesh make a sickeningly wet and sloppy ripping sound, a dark pit in the center of his face growing larger and larger.

The nun gazed on as the mist entangled her, surrounding around her being.

It suffocated her, numbing her senses as she saw and heard nothing.

The children's screams became distant as the only sound she heard was the harsh beating of her heart and ragged breathing.

Her strength was reduced to nothing and her arms slipped to her sides, her body having lost the will to fight.

Sister Elizabeth could only stared into the black nothingness, her mouth shaking and her body drawing colder...

**_Reaf fo gninaem laer eht ees llahs ouy…namow won. (8)_**

Something shot out from the mist, from the crater in his face, and latched deeply into the sides of her face, drawing thin strands of blood.

Sister Elizabeth froze as bright crimson oozed from her cheeks.

Her body twitched in reaction to the pain, but did not move any further…for it could not move.

It was as if he cast a demonic spell upon her being. Then with extreme force…it yanked her forward into the darkness of his face.

And before the children were terrified beyond reason…

Before she was mentally damaged…

What Elizabeth first saw in the darkness of the pit made her let out a terrifying shriek.

A shriek so loud and powerful that it ripped from the very depths of her soul and it echoed deeply into the warm night, awaking the whole orphanage.

* * *

Sister Helen shot up from her bed, clutching her heart as a piercing sound drummed in her ears.

"W-What…"

Another shriek arose in the night air, and the young nun spun her head to the door, her eyes widen in panic.

"Oh god…Sister Elizabeth!"

Hurriedly, she swung her body over the edge, putting on her slippers, and dashed into the hallway, adults and children alike awoken from their sleep and peering through the hallways.

She ran towards the playground, Sister Anna and Father Matthew soon joining her.

"It came from the playground!" Father Matthew bellowed, his voice full of panic and concern.

"It was Sister Elizabeth!" Sister Anna knew, her green eyes widen. "She must be in trouble!"

The young father looked back and directed towards another nun.

"Stay here and keep the children in the orphanage!"

The three rush down the hall, several other adults joining them to see what was wrong...

* * *

The group rushed to the playground, panic in their hearts, when they heard the terrified crying and screaming.

Sister Helen widens her blue eyes at the scene, a hand to her mouth in worry.

Gina and the twins cowered in fear and hunched over Sister Elizabeth's body, bawling and hollering in sheer terror and panic.

"SISTER ELIZABETH, GET UP! _PLEASE_!"

Said woman laid limp on her side.

Her crying eyes rolled back in terror, her brunette hair in a tangled in a sweaty mess, and her body in uncontrollable twitching fits.

"Good Lord!"

Anna and Matthew rush to her side, the former and other nuns checking on the children while the latter came to Elizabeth's aid.

Helen stood back in shock. "Wh-What happened?!"

A small groan echoed softly. She turned to see Kathy, who struggled to get up.

"Kathy? Kathy!"

Helen rushed to her side and lifted her up. Her little purple pajamas was torn and muddied while her little body was beaten and her head bled.

Yet, she showed no sides of pain…only sadness.

"O-Oh No—what happened?! Can you tell me what happened?!"

"…He came…"

The young nun widen her eyes at her response. "Wh-Wha—"

"Mister came…He came…" Kathy gently pushed away and stared into the dark woods; she watched the trees sway softly in the warm night breeze.

"…Mister said he's sorry…he didn't _mean_ to hurt anyone…"

_'Mister...Oh god…'_

"K-Kathy..." Helen drew closer to Kathy; she softly but firmly grabbed onto the young girl's arms. "What did he do…?"

Kathy looked up at the nun, her big blue eyes shinning softly. "He's a nice person, really. And you know what?"

The little girl, despite her broken state...despite what happened, smile sweetly.

"He said it would only be a matter of time before he'd come for me… Can you believe that?"

Sister Helen stood there in silence, the crying and yelling still echoing in the background. Then she looked into the dark woods which, oddly enough, gave no sounds.

_'Someone—something— is in those woods'_

"Oh my god…" Helen replied to herself. "You _were_ right, Anna…_**something's**_ in there…"

* * *

**End of Chapter 2**

**(I hope you liked it. Also, in this story, Slenderman talks backwards, so a lot of his lines will be backwards too.)**

**_SLENDERMAN'S LINES_**

**_1) Namow, gniod uoy era tahw? = "What are you doing, woman?"_**

**_2) Enim s'tahw ekat dna yrt ot uoy era ohw? = "Who are you to try and take what's mine?"_**

**_3) Em rewsna! = "Answer me!"_**

**_4) _****_Luos rouy ekat dna ouy llik llahs I. Ouy llik! = "Kill you. I shall kill you and take your soul!"_**

**_5) Em morf n_****_ur t'nac ouy…Edih ot erehwon s'ereht… = "There's nowhere to hide...you can't run from me..."_**

**_6) _****_Ouy dnif syawla ll'I… Em morf epacse t'nac ouy… = "You can't escape from me...I'll always find you..."_**

**_7) _****_…ON… = "...NO..."_**

**_8) ___****Reaf fo gninaem laer eht ees llahs ouy…namow won. = "Now woman...you shall see the real meaning of fear..."**

**(I hope this helps ^^)**


	3. He's Not a Monster

**Chapter 3**

**(Well, Kathy was able to prove Mister real...but is that a good thing~?)**

It was 2:00 in the morning when Sister Elizabeth awoke from her unconsciousness. She fluttered her eyes slowly and gazed blankly up at the ceiling.

"Sister Elizabeth?"

The older brunette tilted her head to the side, Father Mathew kneeling by her side; Sisters Helen and Anna were on either side of him, looking deeply concerned. The priest gently took the woman's hand into his and gave her a look of worry.

"Sister Elizabeth…are you okay? What _happened_ back there?"

Sister Elizabeth eyed his hand dully, turning her head away to face forward but saying nothing.

She slowly sat up in the bed and stared down into her lap, eyes half-lidded and mouth hanging open ever so slightly.

Finally, she spoke in a low mutter that was gentle by disturbed.

"I…have seen the very depths of **evil**…"

Sister Elizabeth gently clutched the wool sheets, her body trembling as chills ran along her spine.

"The horrors I've witnessed…the sights my eyes forcibly _gazed_ upon…"

She remembered Matthew's hands on her own, and quickly snatched it away, awkwardly placing it on her lap.

"I-I'm sorry…I don't wish to be touch…" She replies softly, her eyes shimmering fearfully as tears slipped from her eyes.

"It reminds me of what I saw…what I _felt_…"

The brunette woman didn't look at the others and kept going, her eyes in a dead-like trance. "The torture…the never ending _torture_…"

Her body continued to tremble, her eyes widen and her breathe hitched.

"The darkness swarmed all around me…It..." Her breathed hitched, feeling a weight on her chest. "It kept _**consuming**_ me, overwhelming my entire body…I-I thought I'd be trapped _**forever**_!"

Sister Anna walks to the other side and lay at the head nun's side to comfort her.

"But it's over now, Sister Elizabeth." The redhead placed a soft hand on her shoulder, trying to sooth her heart. "It's over."

**"NO!"**

The woman turned to the redhead, her eyes gleaming with sheer terror.

"It's _**NOT**_ over! I can still _**hear**_ it!"

She turned away, placing her hands on her paling cheeks.

"The horrid, ghastly sounds of children screaming. The wet, sounds of ripping flesh. T-The deep darkness swarming…the-the _**BLOOD**_ everywhere!"

Sister Elizabeth shivered deeply, the icy cold piercing at her soul. "Oh god, all of those **_bodies_**…just _lying_ there in puddles of dark blood…And—"

She hugs herself tightly, her whole being shaking.

"I can still _**SEE**_ him! Every time I close my eyes, _**HE'S**_ there in my mind! Whispering messages of evil in my ears…Just _**STANDING**_ there and waiting!"

"Who's there?" Sister Helen asks anxiously. "Is it the man who terrorized you and the children?"

"No…"

Elizabeth looks at her, brown eyes blank with fear. "He was no _man_…no such _man_ could ever exist in _our_ world…He was as dark as darkness itself and—and he seemed to tower over my very soul!"

The door to the bedroom creaked opened; Kathy's blonde hair shone in the crack as she and the other children peeked in for a look.

"Sister Helen?"

Elizabeth's brown eyes widen even more; wrenching from Anna's hold, the older nun stared upon the little girl with fear.

"That CHILD!" She screamed. "She knows...she knows what that _**thing**_ is! This child… has been seen with a _demon_!"

She stabbed a long finger in Kathy's direction, anger clouding her eyes.

"That _**DEMON** _has gotten a hold of her! He's manipulated her mind! He's trying to take her away into the depths of that hell!"

"NO!"

Kathy busted through the door and into the room. "Mister's _not_ a demon! H-he's not mean; he didn't mean to hurt Sister Elizabeth. He's a nice man!"

"He's _**NOT**_ a man!" Elizabeth retorted. "He's a demon! An abomination to this world! And he has seen the children!"

She was in a panic now; the nun placed her shaking hands on her face, sharp nails digging into flesh and tears swelling in her eyes.

The fear she felt...the terror she played back in her head...reduced the once strong and stern nun into a whimpering and feeble mess.

"He _**wants** _that child, I know now…but…he'll _take_ the others as well."

Her voice rises and her eyes gleam in panic; a deep shade of realization etches her face, and the woman looks to the others frightened.

"O-Oh God...H-He has _seen_ the children! And me! And now, he's _**coming**_ for us! He's going to return to the orphanage! And he won't stop until we're all _**DEAD**_!"

Then she screeches out in pain, bending down into her lap...

That low and dark throatily voice echoed all at once in her mind.

Its sadistic pleasure in her breakdown echoed with menacing snickering.

It whispered of unearthly evils and messages of eternal hell. They grew more louder and more demanding until she couldn't stand it.

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, **DAMMIT**!"

The others watched in sudden horror as she dug her nails deeper into her face.

The children whimpered in fear at the sight of blood weeping down in dark red. Her shrieking didn't help, for they took higher pitches, reaching to the heavens.

"**GET OUT OF MY HEAD**!"

With a force powered by overwhelming fear, Sister Elizabeth yanks her nails down roughly.

Flesh sliced in thin layers, falling along her cheeks and hanging gruesomely to the side; the blood poured greatly in heaps, spraying onto the wool sheets in bright crimson.

_**"GET OUT!"**_

Quickly, Father Matthew and Sister Anna restrained the screaming woman; swinging his head towards Sister Helen, he swatted towards the children.

"Get them out of here! They mustn't see this!"

"Y-Yes Father Matthew!"

The nun ushered the small children out of the room and hurried them down the hall to their rooms, away from the traumatized and broken woman.

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**


	4. He's Just Misunderstood

**Chapter 4**

The noise of Elizabeth's breakdown became distance in the wind, her screams thinning as they walked on; soon, it faded altogether, and the hallway was a place of silence.

Sister Helen and the children continued to walk towards their bedrooms, tension rising around them, before Sarah tugged at Helen's hand and mumbled softly.

"Sister Helen…Will Sister Elizabeth be okay?"

The blonde woman bit her lip before giving her a stiff smile. "I…I'm sure she'll be just fine".

But her words were filled with doubt...

She...didn't know if Sister Elizabeth would be ok...

She didn't even know if they would be ok...

"No she won't" Gina murmured, stopping in her tracks.

The young girl looked terrified beyond belief, playing back what happened in the bedroom and the horrid event at the playground.

"Sister Elizabeth _won't_ be okay. You saw her…she was a total wreck. And it was that…_**THING's**_ fault…**_IT _**did that to her."

She turns to Kathy, purple eyes glaring at her accusingly.

"It's all your fault…you brought him out, knowing what he was…"

In anger, she grabbed at Kathy, yelling in panic and outrage.

"Do you know what you've done?! You brought a monster to the orphanage! It knows where we are!"

"L-Let go of me!"

"Children, please!" Sister Helen grabs the brown-haired girl and rips her away from Kathy. "Stop this at once!"

Gina huffs and narrows her purple eyes. "It's not your friend, Kathy…It only wants to take you away. Don't you see? That _**thing** _out there wants to take us _away_!"

"Shut up!" Kathy hiccups, rubbing fresh tears away. "You don't know…you don't know anything! Mister's **not** a monster! He didn't mean to _hurt_ anyone…he didn't mean to _scare_ you guys."

The little girl gives her own glare. "B-Besides, _you_ guys were the ones who _wanted_ to see him! It was _you_ guys who didn't _believe_ he exists. And it was _**you**_ guys who didn't give him a _**chance**_! He wasn't being bad…you all **_scared_ **him!"

_**"Scared?!"**_

Gina scoffs, though not in anger…but more in panic.

"That thing _knew_ what it was doing. It _wanted_ to hurt us. It was **_gonna_** hurt us…But…everyone else got in the way. Now..."

She backs away from Kathy and shakes nervously.

"It knows where we are…It knows who we are…Sister Elizabeth was **_right_**! I-It's gonna come back for us! W-We're all gonna **_die_**!"

Kyle and Sarah whimper and cry out in growing fear, gripping onto Sister Helen for protection; the blonde nun looked to them concerned and gave Gina a warning glare.

"Gina! Stop this nonsense!"

"**NO**!" Gina screamed, breathing quickly. "I-It's gonna come back! I-It's gonna return and-and it's gonna _**kill**_ us!"

"N-no…" Sarah looks up at Helen in fear, her big brown eyes shimmering. "T-That's not _true_…is it? H-He won't come back, will he, Sister Helen?"

"No…No, he _won't_ come back." Helen replied, more to herself than to the children.

She didn't know what was in the woods, but she knew now that it was dangerous...And being frighten wouldn't help her protect the children...

She needed to be strong.

"T-there's...There is nothing to fear, children. Th-the Lord will prevent the evil from coming back…N-Now," She continued, coaxing the children to go down the hall. "We must get you all into bed. You must have a good rest."

* * *

And so, she tucked each child into bed one after another, reassuring their safety and wishing them a goodnight, until the last child left was Kathy.

Having given her new pajamas and placing her into bed, the blonde nun gently said goodnight and turned to take her leave, hoping to retire to her own room.

"…He's _not_ a monster…"

With her hand resting on the knob, Helen turned to face Kathy, who had her head hung down in sadness.

"...Pardon?"

"Mister's _**NOT**_ a monster. H-he didn't _want_ to hurt anyone. He's a nice person, really…"

Sighing, the young nun walked back to the bed and sat next to Kathy's side, wiping away the child's tears.

Even if there was a danger in the forest...Even if there was an entity that would unleash mass destruction to the orphanage...

Kathy was still attached to it...it gained her _trust_...

Sister Helen just had to try and find some way to make her see different.

"How do you know that, dear?" She asks, gently patting the girl's head to comfort her. "How do you know he won't hurt you?"

"H-He'd _**never**_ do that! I would know! B-Because if he did…he would've..."

Kathy goes silently, fiddling with her tiny fingers. Sister Helen tilted her head softly, pausing her patting.

"Yes Kathy...what would he have done...?"

The young child looked at her softly, her big eyes holding a serious gaze.

"If he wanted to hurt me...he would've hurt me...the way he hurt the other one."

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**

**(And the plot thickens~ Who is that other child~? And how does it impact the Orphanage~? Read more to find out~))**


	5. He's Very Nice to Me

**Chapter 5**

Helen froze suddenly, and her patting stopping. She slipped her hand from the little girl's head and peered down to give a look of confusion.

"The _other_ one?"

"Uh-Huh." Kathy nodded softly. "Before it was just me and Mister, there were three of us: Mister, me, and another kid. A little boy that lived in my neighborhood."

Sister Helen said nothing as the child continued her story; all the while, her heart began to thump harder. She placed a hand to her chest to still her rapid beating, but the feeling of anxiousness would not go away.

_'Why...am I getting such a bad feeling about this?'_

"We use to play together all the time in the woods. Then, one day in the summer, we saw Mister; he was all alone and looked so lonely, so we thought it would great to play with him."

"What...But wait, Kathy…I thought you met him back in May…"

"Oh no, Sister Helen. That wasn't the _first_ time I met him. That was the first time I had saw him _again_."

"O-Oh..." Sister Helen felt her skin crawl at the thought; whatever the _**THING**_ was that was outside the orphanage...Kathy _knew_ it long before...

The cold dread creeping up her spine only grew more and more. But she tried her best to not seem uncomfortable in front of the child.

Kathy was all smiles and giggles, remembering the times she and her 'friend' played together. "You see, before I came here, the three of us would spend a lot of time in the woods; playing tag and hide 'n' seek. Mister was always great at finding us! He was the best friend ever...But then..."

Suddenly, the little girl frowned her face; looking back into her lap, she bit her lip softly.

"…Something weird happened…" She looked back up at the nun, her features very blank-like. "Months after we saw Mister, the boy's mommy and daddy died in their house…mommy said a killer got them."

Helen's heart thumped louder, not liking the feeling of dread creeping up her body.

_'Why...does this feel so familiar…?'_

"R-Really?" She replied, her voice wavering slightly.

Yet, Kathy didn't notice; instead, she nodded her little head and continued. "Yeah…the boy was very sad. When I last saw him, he was crying like a baby. But he kept blaming Mister. The boy kept yelling that he it was _his_ fault and that he _**hated** _him. Can you believe that?"

"N-no…no, I can't…"

"Well…days later, those people came and took him away. Mommy said he was taken away to an orphanage around here. But she never gave me a name."

_'…No…it can't be…'_

Sister Helen felt a deep feeling of Déjà vu growing at the back of her mind.

It was lingering there with scenes flashing in her mind a mile a minute. She had to rub her forehead to soothe the migraine coming on strong, for the flashbacks brought a feeling of terror with them.

It was as if they were warning her...

_Pleading_ for her to beware the danger that lurked nearby.

And it irked her...**FRIGHTENED** her greatly that this deep feeling was all too familiar.

In all honesty, Sister Helen wanted to leave to sort out her feelings of terror...but she let the child finish.

"A few months later, Mister left…he said he would come back with him." Kathy sighed, as if in disappointment. "...I didn't see Mister for a whole year. And when he returned, the little boy wasn't with him."

"Wh-What happened to him?"

Kathy looked down at her lap, fiddling with her hands sadly."...Mister said that the little boy was very **bad** now; he was very **mean** and he didn't _want_ to see us anymore. So…Mister said we didn't need that type of friend around anymore…"

Well...that didn't make the nun feel any better...If anything, the dark implications ran wild in her head, making her feel uneasy. But, she tried her best to mask her look of anxiousness...

"For a while, it was just me and Mister. Then another strange thing happened…my mommy and daddy died too."

"Wh-what?" Helen gave Kathy a bewildered look; she had known about the parents' death. But it hadn't occurred to her that Kathy had known for so long.

"Yeah…when they found them in out our house, there was blood everywhere... they said they didn't look like mommy and daddy anymore."

Sister Helen placed her hand to her mouth, trying to stop the feeling of sickness rising; she had been told that her parents had died in a horrible car crash...but...the way Kathy told it...

Helen realized they had been _**KILLED**_.

Kathy never noticed the nun's distraught appearance; she was too busy remembering her 'friend'. She then took out her daises and played with them gently.

"...Mister was there for me…when I was sad, he came out of his woods to comfort me. That's why I wanna be with him forever…he was there for me; he made me feel loved and wanted more than anyone else. So..I promised I'd stay and play always. But..."

Kathy paused, softly trailing her finger along a soft petal. "The mean people who took the boy away took me too. And I didn't see Mister after that."

The little girl smiles softly and looked up at the nun happily; she held her flowers to her chest, having a look of sheer hope and relief.

"But now he's back. He came back for me, Sister Helen. And you know what? He's gonna adopt me! We'll finally be a family! He'll love me more than mommy and daddy!"

Her big eyes shone at the nun, and she smiled with great joy. "Aren't you happy for me, Sister Helen?"

Helen, however, just gazed at Kathy, saying nothing...or rather...she couldn't say anything...

_'No way…'_

She turned towards the window, looking out into the pitch black woods.

_'There's no way…could it be?'_

She turned back to Kathy and asked one final question: "I-I see...and wh-what was the boy's name, Kathy?"

_**"Ronny."**_

Sister Helen jerked up suddenly, her eyes widen as she backed away from the bed in shock.

"...Sister Helen?"

The nun places a hand to her mouth, dread and fear overtaking her body as she realized the horrible truth.

Kathy sat there confused, tilting her head innocently at the nun. "Is something wrong?"

"N-Nothing…Nothing is wrong."

Without wasting another breath, Sister Helen whispers another quick 'good-night' before dashing out of the room and down the hall.

* * *

Her heart pumping and her breath growing shallow, she stepped into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Sister Helen stood in the middle of her room, collecting her thoughts as she now realized the danger that threaten the orphanage.

_'It's no coincidence'_

She knew for sure now, fear rushing through her veins. The more she thought about it, the more her breathing rose to panicked gasping.

_'Ronny knew Kathy…and they both saw the same thing. And whatever that thing is…it **KILLED** Ronny…'_

She placed her hand to her mouth to stop the sickness forming inside. _'It killed him…and now it's coming after Kathy…It knows where she is…were WE are.'_

"…The woods…"

Looking up abruptly, Helen eyed her bedroom window, which peered out into the dark woods outside.

The darkness seems to go on forever, appearing suffocating and thick. It seemed to move on its own, beginning to seep away from the dead trees, crawling along the grass towards the room…slipping its way through the windowpane…

Quickly, Sister Helen rushes to the window and shuts it, locking the hatch and pulling the curtains together.

She backs away, the feeling of terror never going away.

Jumping into bed and pulling the covers over her body, she can't help but feel like a child who's afraid of the Boogeyman.

_'But this Boogeyman was real…'_ She added in her mind. _'He's very real…and he's going to come back again…'_

Tears swelled in her eyes and slipped down her face as she continued to shake in fear. This was something way out of her control, out of any of their control.

She didn't know how to deal with this or how to protect the children.

This was no _**man**_…this was something not of this world…

_'Oh god… what am I going to do?'_

* * *

**End of Chapter 5**  
**(There you have it~ Sister Helen knows that the danger is near~ But will she and the other be able to save the children? Read more to find out~~)**


	6. He Never Leaves Me

**Chapter 6**

During the next few weeks, the orphanage had a large steel gate installed to separate their area from the forest area.

After the horrific scene that night involving Sister Elizabeth, the heads of the orphanage came to realize that they were dealing with something very dangerous...

Something that could _endanger_ the lives of the children they swore to protect.

The moment that gate was installed, the nuns and priests forbidden any of the children to venture into the woods.

Moreover, the children had to stay under tight supervision everywhere they went.

Including the _**playground**_...

Therefore, every time the children went out to play, the nuns and priests were near their sides, and their watchful gazes never looked elsewhere.

Most of the older children and teens knew something was up, considering the adults looked very anxious and wary lately, but they didn't give it any real thought.

On the contrary, the smaller ones played happily, not even fazed by the tension that would fill the air.

...Nor where they aware of the danger that lurked near their home...

* * *

Sister Helen gradually walked towards the playground, seeing most of the children gathered there, and weakly sat down to watch them.

The bags under her paling blue eyes were heavy against her face, and her short blonde hair was in a tangled curly mess under her hatchet..

The young woman tried hard to pay attention to the children, but every time, her eyes would wander…

They would slowly wander and peer deeply into the _deepest_, _**darkest**_ part of the woods.

Those woods were in her dreams now…

Just endless trees trailing in her mind, and she knew that something blended within those trees...

The dream would never go away...It would always come back whenever she tried to get a wink of sleep.

She grew to fear the woods and wished it would all go away.

"..."

Helen turned away from the place, not trying to think about it; sighing lazily, she leaned back in the chair, trying to ease her mind.

"..G-Good morning Sister Helen…"

The blonde looked up sluggishly to see Sister Anna, the redhead in the same state as her with long strands of hair sticking from her hatchet.

"Heh, I guess you couldn't sleep last night either…" Sister Helen chuckled nervously, straightening up a bit.

The redhead smiled weakly, even though Helen could tell it was forced.

"Yes… Is there any coffee?"

"There should be some. Let me get it for you."

As Sister Anna sat down to relax, Sister Helen prepared two big cups of coffee and came back, handing her friend a steaming cup.

"Thank you…"

The two nuns sipped from their cups silently, watching the children play in the playground.

Neither said anything, save for their breathing and the soft sound of their sipping.

Finally, Sister Helen sighed softly, looking to Anna tiredly.

"How is Sister Elizabeth doing?"

Anna said nothing as she sat her cup down and placed her hands in her lap.

"...Not too good…she's resting now, but early this morning, it was a _horrid_ scene. She…kept scratching at herself, saying the **devil** was inside her, and that she was unclean. We ran out of bandages and first aid by the time she calmed down. But…there was something else."

The young redhead looked around, hoping not of the adults saw her, and slowly slipped several papers from under her robes.

"Father Matthew told me to keep this a secret from the others but…you have to know."

She hands Helen the papers, who gently takes them and looks through them carefully.

There were several crumpled pieces of paper, covered in hurried scribbling and rough drawings. Looking through them thoroughly, Sister Helen wore a look of confusion with her eyebrows frowned.

She gazed at Sister Anna softly, her confusion turning to slight anxious.

"..What does all of this mean?"

Sister Anna bit her lip, softly tending to a smaller child who toddled to her side. Looking out to the children playing in the fields, the redhead sighed softly.

"…I..I'm not _sure_ anymore…Sister Elizabeth has been saying nothing but _nonsense_ the moment we calmed her down."

Sister Helen nodded slowly, looking through the pictures again; she noticed Anna watched her, looking a bit more worried than her, and that made the blonde nun feel even more anxious.

Flipping to another page, the blonde nun stopped suddenly, her heart beginning to beat slower.

It was a picture of _**"MISTER"**_….

It was roughly done, but she knew it was him…She recognized his design from Kathy's little drawing from weeks back...

_'Sister Elizabeth had sketched the demon she saw…'_

The one that terrified the children and _attacked_ her…

The one that Kathy called…her **friend**…

Helen sighed deeply, looking at the other nun tiredly. "..I see...So _this_ is what Sister Elizabeth saw...Just...just like Ronny and Kathy.."

Sister Anna nodded silently, cradling the small child in her arms.

The nuns turned back to the children, who played happily in the distance with not a care in their minds.

"...Kathy knew Ronny..."

The redhead look to the blonde with surprise, her weary green eyes widen with shock.

"W-what..? B-but I thought you said—"

"I _know_ what I said...I know...but..."

Sister raked a hand through her bangs, her blue eyes wandering to Kathy.

"That night...Kathy told me about another child...another one that would play with her and..._**MISTER**_..."

Sister Helen gave looked back to the picture, the little girl's words hitting her hard and making her feel anxious.

"She said that Ronny's parents were killed in their house...Ronny _blamed_ MISTER...''

The redhead couldn't do anything else but nod in silence, still disbelieving what she was being told.

"Ronny.._did_ say he would escape the orphanage...he kept saying that the bad man would come and **_get_** him if he stayed..."

Sister Anna gave a sadden sigh. " I suppose that's why he disappeared...he found a way to get out somehow..."

"..Oh no...he...he _**didn't**_ escape..." The blonde said with fear, swallowing heavily as the facts hit her even harder as she thought about it...

"Kathy...Kathy said MISTER visited him...she said they...they wouldn't **_need_** a friend like Ronny..."

Silence grew between the two nuns, the sounds of children laughing and playing echoing in the distance. They watched the children, their faces void of expression, but their hearts thumped loudly in their chests...

..They knew that evil was slowly closing in on them...

"...We're in deep trouble..." The redhead replied darkly, the blonde agreeing with her wholeheartedly.

* * *

Kathy played in the sandbox alone, still fuming silently over what Gina said that night.

The others begged her to play with them, for fear that **_HE_** would get her alone and hurt her, but she refused.

She didn't _need_ friends who hated her most special friend...

Kathy didn't need **_anyone_** other than Mister...

_'An enemy of Mister is an enemy of mine...'_ She thought seriously, tears beginning to swell in her eyes. She rubbed at her big eyes, still feeling them spill out.

_'E-Even...even if that enemy is also Sister Helen...'_

The morning after Mister left, the sweet nun, the woman Kathy grew to love so much, had told her to get rid of her flowers. The little blonde girl was shocked by that, seeing she thought Helen understood...but...the sweet nun looked so scared and serious, so Kathy did as she was told...

And...it broke her heart..

Kathy didn't _want_ Mister to hate her...he would find out that she threw his gift away, and she knew that would make him sad...

Kathy didn't _want_ to make him sad...

She didn't want to be like **_Ronny_**...

_'Mister...when will you come to take me away...?'_

She looked down at the sandbox, letting a few tears fall down her soft cheeks.

"M-Mister..." She sobbed sadly.

**"...yhtaK~..."**

The blonde little girl looked up suddenly, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears...

After so long...she heard that familiar voice in her head.

Darting her eyes towards the woods, she saw him standing there and staring at her in the distance.

In his long, bony, white hand, he held a dozen daises, his voice soft and comforting to her ears.

**"yhtaK, ereh emoc..."**

"Mister..."

She stared at him softly, a sweet smile appearing on her face, and wiped the tears away.

At that same moment...

Time **_stopped_**...

The children, who were once playing and laughing with joy, slowed their moments, their actions coming to a halt almost immediately did Kathy whisper lovingly for her friend.

The adults, who were watching the children closely, were startled by the simultaneous movement that captured each child. They stood in their spots, not knowing what was going on, but were anxious by the now deafening silence.

The children just _stood_ there, their eyes slowly losing their colors, and dropped anything they held in their hands.

With eerie timing, their heads all turned towards the woods, their faces wiped of any emotions and their bodies frozen like statues.

The woods stood overhead, the darkness that was trapped within beginning to seep through the trees, over that steel gate, and towards the orphanage.

* * *

The nuns and priests were both astounded and worried, walking to some children to see what was wrong.

Some even tried to firmly shake them to attention, hoping to get some type of reaction, but any attempts proved to be failure.

"...W-What's happening?" Sister Anna asked warily, cradling the smaller child closer to her chest...

To her horror, that little child's head was turned towards the woods, big brown eyes growing dull and stoic...

Sister Helen stood up slowly, her eyes darting to each child as they gazed into the woods.

She was beginning to _panic_...

She was beginning to **_lose_** her cool...

Until she looked to what captured their gazes...

And she knew then...

The children stared into the woods blankly, staring beyond the tall steel gate...

Beyond the darkness of the woods...

And stared directly at _**HIM**_...

"O-Oh no..." She said helplessly, her body beginning to grow dreary...

She...She could heard this agitation **static** in her head...it echoed on and on, and her head began to ache painfully...

It was within that moment did the first adult drop to the ground, falling into deep unconsciousness.

Soon after, the nuns and priests began to drop like flies, the static feeling buzzing in their minds and overtaking them completely. Their eyes rolled in the back of their heads...and blood began to trickle from their noses...

"O-Oh Lord...w-what's...h-happen...ing?" Sister Anna felt her legs grow weak, and her body fell forward slowly...

An older girl took the child from her arms effortlessly, her own orange eyes staring out to the woods as was the others...

As Anna fell to the floor, blood trickling from her nose and some from her ears, she came to realize that the evil force...

Had slipped into their little haven...

* * *

Kathy's smiles grew bigger and bigger, staring at her friend happily.

She didn't notice the other children looking to him as well, but she didn't care for them..

They could never love Mister like _she_ loved him...

"...I've missed you Mister..." She said, dropping her little toy shovel and began to sit up.

Sister Helen wobbled under her weight, panting heavily as her head grew dizzier and dizzier...

Her vision was shaky as she stared at his long, thin legs, the trees camouflaging his face and upper body...

Yet she knew...

Helen _knew_ she could feel his pale head leering back at her darkly...

**_Tauntingly_**...

She lowered her gaze to Kathy, who slowly stood up like the rest and looked to him and **only** him..

Her eyes widen, but only ever so slightly, as she instinctively reached out to her...

"N-No..."

Her head was the first to slump down before her body lean forward in a heap, her eyes focused on Sister Anna's fallen form and the legs of the children near by...

It was the moment those legs stepped forth did the blonde lose consciousness.

* * *

**End of Chapter 6**


	7. Everybody Will Love Him

**Chapter 7**

_"Stop!"_

_The poor woman ran through the forest, tortured wails echoing from the darkness._

_The screaming and pleading of innocent children pierced through her ears and made them numb. As she ran down the endless path, which stretched on for miles and miles, she was subjected to the horrid sounds of their misery._

_Their crying made her want to cry..._

_Their pain stabbed at her heart..._

_Their blood spilling everywhere reminded her over and over that she failed to protect them..._

_"N-no more...No more..."_

_She came to a stop within the darkness; the forest was beginning to become distorted, twisting and bending on its own..._

_Hoping to trap her inside..._

_As she struggled to make her way through the hellish place, the woods marring her skin with deep scratches, the brunette woman heard the pleads of the children grow louder..._

_Their sobbing and shouts breaking her soul over and over again..._

**_"Hurts...IT HURTS!"_**

**_"MAMA! MAMA, SAVE ME!"_**

**_"I WANNA GO HOME!"_**

**_"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"_**

_"STOP! STOP THIS AT ONCE!" She shouted desperately, feeling encircled by the painful shouting of the children..._

_Their screaming increased in volume and took higher pitches, making her ears bleed and her eyes weep in sorrow._

_"STOP HURTING THEM! STOP IT!"_

_The woman felt her legs grow weaker, and her body slumped to the ground, staining her clothes in the dark blood trailing from the trees._

_Looking around, the poor woman saw the true depth of the carnage..._

_Tiny helpless bodies littered the ground around her, eyes staring at her with cold, dead gazes, and slumped in a sea of dark crimson..._

_Tears ran along her cheeks and chin, and the woman sobbed out in pain and defeat._

_She couldn't take it anymore...she just couldn't..._

_"Stop.." She tried one more time, her voice hoarse and dry. "STOP IT THIS ONCE!"_

_The woman screamed to the heavens, the pain of the children drowning out her cries._

_"STOP THIS MADNESS, YOU **DEMON**!"_

_"...Sister Elizabeth..."_

_The noises stopped just like that, screams halting in mid cry, and the woman froze with wide eyes..._

_That little voice struck more fear into her body than those dreadful screams..._

_She turned behind her terrified, seeing little Kathy standing there in her pretty little pink dress..._

_"Mister is not a demon..." The little girl replied dully, her big blue eyes gazing at her darkly..._

_White bony hands shot out from the darkness, seizing the child suddenly...but Kathy doesn't struggle..._

_In Sister Elizabeth's dreams, Kathy never struggled..._

_The little blonde girl still looked at her unnervingly, letting that demon take her in his arms. He stepped out the darkness, his body looming over her whimpering body._

_His pale skin glowed in the darkness, and the ground crunched underneath his feet._

_Sister Elizabeth stepped away in fear, her heart leaping into her throat and back down..._

_That monster held that child in his arms gently, and Kathy leaned her head into his chest, gripping onto his suit willingly..._

_She held onto him so happily with such devotion, it made the woman **sick** to her stomach..._

_"Mister is **not** a demon..." Kathy repeated, her voice becoming more distorted and more demonic..._

_"No.."_

_Kathy flashed her a sharp, menacing smile..._

_**"hE's My fRIEnd..."**_

_Tendrils shot out at the woman, and Sister Elizabeth unearthed a terrified shriek-_

Tired brown eyes opened suddenly, and the brunette woman sat up causally.

Looking around, she noticed she was still in the bed, and her face was still bandaged up...

Sister Elizabeth was in her room alone, having rushed away the nuns that begged her to rest.

...She couldn't rest...not when **_he_** plagued her thoughts...

The older brunette would have those dreams for the past few weeks, where that monstrous being chased her through the woods, blood trailing everywhere...

Children screaming...children crying...

Children dying...

He would kill the children...he would make them **suffer**...

And Kathy...poor naive little Kathy...would stay by his side with such _sickening_ devotion...

When she heard that the orphanage had installed a steel gate to stop the children from going into the woods, Sister Elizabeth snorted darkly.

The heads thought this would stop him for good...but to her, that attempt was just futile...

A mere gate could never stop a demon of _his_ caliber...

He was in a league all on his own...he was a demon their bible did **_NOT_** warm them about...

He...He was a being almost as sinister as Lucifer...

_'A mere gate could never hope to stop that **beast**...'_

Sister Elizabeth heard the metal clanging coming from outside; it was faint at first, but it soon grew louder as more clanging erupted.

"..The gate..."

She turned her eyes to the window, and they widened when she saw the children...

The adults were all laid out, littering the ground with their unconscious helpless bodies, as the children slowly made their way towards the woods.

All of them, young and old, marched forth; their faces were wiped of any emotions, and not a single movement was wasted...

They were like robots, gradually walking towards the gate and climbing over it without hesitation.

"No..."

Sister Elizabeth got up suddenly, rushing to the window to see them all beginning to disappear into the darkness of the woods. She darted her eyes to each child in panic, until she turned her gaze to the woods...

And saw **_him_**...

That pale faceless head looking at her coldly...

Sneering at her pathetic attempt to stop him last time...

He disappeared as fast as he came, his space filled with the infectious spread of pitch-blackness.

Her brown eyes widen in fear, the last of the children blended into the blackness of the woods.

"...Oh god..."

Sister Elizabeth yanked her bible and cross into her hands and ran from her room, despite the pain in her legs from laying down for so long.

She ran through the halls, which were empty of any person, and skidded towards the playground. The nun watched in fear as the last silhouettes of the children blended into the darkness, consuming them whole.

"No..No, no, no..."

She gazed to Sisters Helen and Anna, the blood from their noses and ears striking panic into her soul..

This was **real**...

The evil had breached through their safe haven and have taken control...

_'...It's happening...My dream...'_

Without a second thought, the nun ran into the forest, hoping to save the children before it was too late.

* * *

Her legs were heavy as lead, yet Sister Elizabeth ran through the woods with determination.

The children had not venture too far, so the nun was sure she could get to them in time.

She paused for a brief moment, hoping to listen to any footfalls in the distance.

Just as she suspected, several footsteps walked nearby, their movements calm and calculated...

The brunette woman wandered farther into the darkness, her breath hitched and her eyes worried.

She couldn't let him get the children...

She would die first before she'd _allow_ such unholiness.

Her running ceased to a halt when she gazed upon a child ahead in the path...

It was Gina, her sandy-brunette head slumped over and her pigtails dangling in the air.

"..Gina?"

Sister Elizabeth stepped closer, hoping to grab the child and pull her from the beast's demonic grip.

She succeeded in grasping her arm and pulling her closer, yet no reaction came from the girl.

Gina just stood there like a statue, emotionless and almost dead-like...

"Gina...Gina, can you hear me?"

As she called out to the girl, the nun felt her voice waver a bit and feared she had already lost her.

"Gina...Gina, please _ANSWER_!"

But the young girl didn't answer. Instead, her head turned slowly, her body never moving.

Sister Elizabeth shook startled as she watched Gina's neck twisted unnaturally, her skin stretching and her bone cracking...

Her big purple eyes were wide and unblinking.

They stared at one another, Gina's neck almost twisted all the way around; her unnerving gaze sent chills down the nun's body and into her heart.

"..G-Gina?"

The young girl gazed into her soul, not a word coming from her mouth.

Sister Elizabeth's terrified eyes stayed on the child, and it disgusted her the way Gina's frail body was twisted by the power of that demon...

But she had to be strong...

She had to remain strong in the presence of this **monster**.

"Gina! Listen to me! Try to break free! You can **_do_** this!"

Sister Elizabeth gripped Gina's shoulders, giving her a slight shake as the nun's eyes shined desperately.

"You're stronger than this! Break free! BREAK _**FREE**_!"

For a moment, the light in the girl's purple eyes began to come back again, and the brunette woman felt the weight lift from her body.

Then Gina tilted her head, her skin slowly stretching in an unearthly fashion...

And that smile spread on her face...

"You're so stupid, Sister Elizabeth..." The girl replied softly...but it wasn't _her_ voice...

That cold dark voice belonged to another...

It...It belonged to **him**...

"He doesn't want to _hurt_ us...He only wants to adopt us..."

"No..."

Gina yanks from her hold, that unnerving smile never going away.

"He wants to adopt us...He _**will**_ adopt us..."

The young brunette girl steps away from her, disappearing into the darkness.

"...Do not stop him, Sister Elizabeth..."

"Gina..Gina, **_wait_**!"

Sister Elizabeth ran after her, her heart still racing to find them. When she stumbled upon a light a head, what she saw made her even more frightened.

"...Oh no..."

The children...The children were all there...

* * *

They stood in a tiny clearing, tall rotten, oak trees towering over their very beings as a deep darkness loomed ahead in an open gap.

Coming closer, the nun saw them in a half circle, backs turned to her as they stared into the pitch-black that laid ahead.

The silence hung in the air heavily and only her heart beats could be heard pulsing in her ears.

"..W-what is happening...?"

"..He wants to adopt us..."

The murmur was low and soft, but Sister Elizabeth heard it clear as day.

"He **_will_** adopt us..."

"No.."

The nun walked into the circle, seeing each child wearing that blank expression on their faces...

"You can't stop him Sister... We will become one with him..."

All at once, the children chanted the phrase over and over, the air echoing with overlapping voices.

"NO!" Sister Elizabeth yelled, looking around at them desperately.

"Stop it, children! Do not let him _**control**_ you like this!"

They continued to chant softly and slowly, wearing blank faces as they ignored her pleads to stop.

As they chanted, their soft voices becoming distorted and twisted, the darkness becoming deeper and deeper.

"He wants to adopt us..."

"S-Stop it..."

"He _**will**_ adopt us..."

"P-Please stop it!"

'You can't stop him Sister..."

"Please..."

"We will be one with him..."

"_**PLEASE**_!"

The chants became louder and louder, their faces never changing and their bodies never moving.

The darkness swirled around her, and the nun tugged at her hair in panic.

"Please stop! **PLEASE STOP IT**!"

"...Sister Elizabeth?"

The older woman froze in the mist of possessed children. Her eyes darted to the soft voice, and her panic soon turned to rage...

Kathy stood there, unaware of the darkness seeping from the gap behind her, blinking innocently at her.

Kathy...

The child who befriended the demon...

* * *

**End of Chapter 7**


	8. Everybody MUST Love Him

**Chapter 8**

**((Disclaimer: In this chapter, there will be the use of religion-based phrases...and Slenderman slightly slandering it. I have nothing against any type of religion, and it's merely for the malicious character role he plays in this story. However, should you still feel offended, you are welcome to skip this chapter and go to the next one. Either way, I hope that you still enjoy my story.))**

* * *

There she was...

Kathy was just standing there innocently with her head tilted to the side.

"What are you doing here, Sister Elizabeth?"

The little girl was smiling so sweetly, not even fazed by the void behavior of the other children.

Looking at her intensively, Sister Elizabeth noticed Kathy wasn't frozen like the others...

The light in her eyes was bright and shining vividly...

Her face was so full of life...

Kathy wasn't being controlled like the others...

No...no, _she_ could move at her own free will, and think the way _she_ wanted.

The young girl moved a bit closer to her, her big eyes shinning with curiosity and confusion.

She was gazing at the nun innocently, which only made Sister Elizabeth fuel with burning anger.

"...You..."

She turned to the little girl, her brown eyes losing their colors. The nun walked to Kathy calmly, but she was anything but calm.

It was _**HER**_ fault that the children were like this...

_**SHE**_ was the one who willingly let that demon control her...

"You...!"

Sister Elizabeth eyed the girl with rage, moving closer to the startled child and seizing her by her arms.

"..How dare you...?"

Kathy was yanked up so they'd be face to face, big blue eyes staring fearfully into burning brown ones.

"How _**DARE**_ you?! You've let him possess the children! You've let his **evil** spread into the orphanage!"

Kathy felt tears sting her blue eyes as the nun yelled into her tiny face. Yet, she stayed firm and whimpered softly.

"M-mister is nice...Mister is kind..."

A sharp sound echoed in the forest, and Kathy cried out from her stinging cheek.

Sister Elizabeth gazed at her angrily, her hand still raised after striking the child. Narrowed brown eyes burned with rage, and her mouth was a deep snarl.

"You've desecrated this place...you and that _**MONSTER**_!"

The murmuring of the children grew louder, their voices mingling into one stoic drawl, and it drove the nun deeply insane.

Letting her fall to the ground roughly, Sister Elizabeth yanked away from Kathy as if she was fire and pointed a finger towards her.

"This is your last chance, child. Save yourself..._free_ yourself from that **DEMON**!"

Kathy froze in the brunette woman's hold, and the light disappeared from her eyes.

* * *

...Demon...

Beast...

Thing...

It...

**Monster**...

They...they all called him names...

They all thought Mister was a **monster**...

_'Child, come **HERE**! That's not a man! Th-That **THING** is a monster!'_

_'It's not your friend, Kathy...It only wants to take you away...'_

_'This child...has been seen with a **demon**!'_

_'It wanted to hurt us...It was **gonna** hurt us...'_

_'That **demon** has a hold of her!'_

_'It's going return...and it's gonna **KILL** us!'_

They...

_'How do you know he won't hurt you?'_

...They all **_hated_** Mister...

Kathy's mouth quivered, and another strangled whimpered escaped weakly. She looked to the ground in despair, the chanting echoing in the background.

"He's..."

Tears began to swell in her eyes, her body shaking terribly.

"He's **_not_** a monster..." Kathy hiccuped with hurt, bravely staring at the nun that struck her.

"Mister's my friend... He's my friend and I love him..."

Sister Elizabeth sneered darkly, stepping closer and getting ready to strike her again.

"...You...You _**DEMON**_ lover!"

"SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE SHREW!"

The nun halted with her movement, and the chanting silenced suddenly.

Kathy stared at the woman with possessed like eyes, breathing heavily as a dangerous fire burned in them, something not seen in the little girl.

"I **LOVE** HIM!" Kathy shrieked, her yelling cracking with her overwhelming sorrow.

"HE'S GOING TO _ADOPT_ ME! HE'S GOING TO _**KEEP**_ ME! HE'S GOING TO _**LOVE**_ ME!"

She stepped away from Sister Elizabeth, willingly going to the darkness behind her.

"I WON'T LET YOU **TAKE** HIM AWAY FROM ME! I WON'T LET YOU_** KEEP** _US APART!"

The ground began to crumble as someone...something came closer and closer, but no one paid attention.

**"I. LOVE. MISTER!"**

Her crying turned to sheer sobbing, and the air filled with the heartbreaking wails of the little girl.

Sister Elizabeth was startled by her sudden outburst and darted her eyes around nervously when the chanting stopped.

Their heads were turned towards her with cold and unblinking eyes...

"...W-What...?"

They all had that blank look in their faces...

Their mouths dulled to a thin line...

The children had lost the bright colors in their eyes, which were completely voided of any life...

...He had taken them all...

That demon had control of **ALL** of them...

The children, younger and older, all stared at her with such malicious glares, disgust and anger laced in their faces as they witnessed her lash out at the child.

As Kathy cried in her hands, and as the children silently judged Sister Elizabeth with their cold faces, a sharp static rang out in the nun's ears.

She suddenly yelled out, her ears burning in searing pain, as she moved away from the darkness.

The deafening sound of static mixed with the sound of Kathy's devastated sobbing.

As the woman stepped back in fear, the children continued to stare intensively, their gazes following her every move.

Their heads moved in unison to watch her, not caring that their necks cracked and twisted sickeningly.

The horrid sound of bones creaking slowly mixed with the sound of sobbing and static, creating this distorted and scratching melody.

The shadows surrounded the woman, children weaving in and out of the darkness..still staring at her coldly.

Seeing that they all encircled her with those piercing gazes, the nun realized that she was trapped.

Looking around, she saw that each child now wore a wide smile; they stood like statues and their eyes were dead cold...yet they all wore that wide smile...

A wide smile filled with unmistakable bliss.

As they moved closer to her in the darkness, the static and loud sobbing combining into a sadistic sound, they began to whisper softly and soothingly.

"He wants to adopt us..." Kyle said, holding his sister's hand in a death grip.

"He _**will**_ adopt us.." Sarah added, tightening her grip on his.

"You can't stop him, Sister..." Gina sneered, that smile plastered on her face like glue, while her neck was bent awkwardly to the side.

"We will be one with him...He is the observer and keeper of our souls."

The darkness drew from that gaping hole in front of her, swirling around Kathy and twisting along the children's body with serpentine motions.

Sister Elizabeth gazed in horror as the children chanted darkly and soothingly at the same time, Kathy crying her heart out as shadows seep towards her.

_**"Emit s'ti..." (1)**_

The nun's heart stopped cold as a gasp manged to slip through her mouth...

That dark voice echoed in her mind...

"He's here..."

The chanting stopped suddenly, and the children looked towards the deep darkness.

Kathy still cried in sorrow, her body shaking heart-brokenly as her head was buried in her hands.

Then..

Those long arms stretched out from the pitch-blackness.

Sister Elizabeth stepped away in terror as that demon seized the child.

Those thin, bony fingers wrapped around the blond girl, sinking into her flesh with a firm grip, and lifted her into the air with ease.

Kathy didn't even flinch.

He was surprisingly gentle with her, slowly picking up her weeping form and cradling the little girl in his arms.

All while staring down the terrified nun.

As Kathy sobbed into his shoulder, her tiny hands gripping his suit, the slender being gazed down at the nun with such hatred.

_**"...Namow..." (2)**_

* * *

Her knees buckled, and Sister Elizabeth fell to the ground, her eyes widening in fear as he stepped out of the darkness.

The children stood there with those dazed smiles on their faces, and they looked to the monstrous being with such sickening devotion.

Holding Kathy in one hand, the tall man reached out to the brunette woman with the other.

**_"Namow, nossel ruoy denrael uoy thguoht i..." (3)_**

The static grew stronger, and Sister Elizabeth could feel a numbness echo through her brain.

She stumbled a bit, looking at the children's dedicated looks for the demonic entity.

Her vision blurred after that, their bodies buzzing and becoming distorted like the piercing static in her mind.

"St-Stop this, you monster..."

"He wants to adopt us..."

"Stop it!"

"He **_will_** adopt us.."

The chanting grew more distorted, more demonic as their voices grew lower and more inhumane.

The sound numbed her whole body, and Sister Elizabeth felt blood trickle from her nose. Her ears rang with white pitching sounds, which soon bled as well.

A swoosh of the bushes and wood rattle through her brain, and the woman looked up weakly to the thing.

He held Kathy softly to his chest..

But this time, his tendrils were summoned before her, swirling around him like a web.

One tendril held the child, who still sobbed sadly in his hold, as both of his long thing arms stayed at his sides, aching to grab a hold of her.

She felt unholy...She felt **_unclean_**.

Everything that was happening was slowly making her tainted under his powers; the chanting still echoed in the background.

"I won't..."

"He **_will_** adopt us..."

"I won't let you take the children!"

The nun took out her bible and cross, staring down at the beast with growing determination.

"You...you and that child have brought evil to this place of holiness...And I will not let you continue this any _**longer**_!"

She held the bible in her hands tightly, flipping though the passages to stop his corrupt of the children's souls.

Stopping at one in particular, Sister Elizabeth read with a powerful voice, never minding that her body was trembling with fear.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...He maketh me to lie down in green pastures...he leadeth me beside the still waters."

The chanting stopped momentarily, and the nun was falsely convinced that her faith could fight against his power.

"He restoreth my soul...he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

She began to feel her confidence come back to her, and she continued on, a smirk grazing her features.

_'I've won, you demon...The Lord will prevail against your evil...'_

**_"Won yllaer~?" (4)_**

His dark voice made the nun flinch, and she stuttered a bit while reading more of the passage.

"Y-Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I-I will fear no evil..."

She tried to remain firm, feeling the whispers entering her head again...

She tried to ignore the images that were beginning to flash through her mind again...

The screaming...

The crying...

The children dying...

"For..." Tears began to shimmer in her eyes as she saw his shadow tower over her. "F-For thou art with me.. t-thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

She tried so hard to be brave...but it didn't work...

He only stepped closer and closer to her, his blank head keeping that unnerving gaze upon her.

Sister Elizabeth was trembling in her place, her mind freezing altogether as the chanting began to start again...

This was not how she wanted things to go...

She was losing against this demon...

She was losing the children to his power...

...She was losing her faith...

"Y-Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I-I will fear n-no evil-"

_**"Namow, pu evig..." (5)**_

She looked up to the dark being with horrified eyes, the children staring towards them and chanting louder in the background.

_****__**"Dog ynup ruoy ekil tsuj...Kaew...Gnippils si htiaf ruoy wonk ouy..."**_ (6)

"Y-You dare speak blasphemy of The Lord's powers?!" Sister Elizabeth retorted shakily, sneering feebly at his sheer darkness.

"He is almighty...HE WILL PREVAIL!"

The being stepped closer to her, reaching out with his large hand.

"STOP!" Sister Elizabeth screamed desperately, holding out her cross in hopes to stop him.

"You shan't taint me! The Lord will keep me **_HOLY_**!"

She stared him down, trying to ignore the chanting of the children she failed to protect.

Kathy sniffled in his hold, her sobbing dying down to mere whimpering.

The tall demonic entity paid no attention to the chanting nor the child...His focus laid only on the stubborn and broken nun.

**_"Namow hsiloof..." (7)_**

...He gripped the cross gently, breaking it effortlessly.

_**"Em pots tonnac doG ruoy..." (8)**_

The metal fell to the ground with a clank.

Sister Elizabeth's faith slipped from her grip, and she panicked. The chanting grew louder, grow powerful and enthusiastic.

"He wants adopt us..."

Her neck snapped back as he seized her head into one hand.

"He **_will_** adopt us!"

Through his fingers, her one visible eye watched as his head twisted and stretched, a dark smirk widen with malicious glee.

"YOU CAN'T STOP HIM, SISTER!"

Her eye widen as the darkness seeped out again, the horrors she witness coming back to haunt her suddenly and altogether.

**"We ArE oNe wITh HiM! hE Is tHe oBseRVEr aNd kEEpeR oF OuR sOUlS!"**

Kathy had stopped crying alone ago and now looked to Sister Elizabeth coldly.

"...An enemy of Mister...is an enemy of me..."

A strangled whimper was all she gave before the darkness collapsed on the nun.

* * *

**End of Chapter 8**

**((Thanks for sticking around for the new chappie, folks ^^. This one was a little religion-based since I used a few phrases. The quotes used were from Psalam 23 ((The King James Version)). Also, Slenderman has a few sayings in here, which are backwards, so I'll give you their meanings below:**

**SLENDERMAN'S LINES**

**1) __****"Emit s'ti..." = "It's time..."**

**__****2) __****"...Namow..." = "...Woman..."**

**__****__****3) ****_"Namow, nossel ruoy denrael uoy thguoht i" = "I thought you learned your lesson, woman..."_**

**__****__********_4) _****_"Won yllaer~?" = "Really now~?_**

**_5) _**_**"Namow, pu evig..." = "Give up, woman..."**_

_**6) "Dog ynup ruoy ekil tsuj...Kaew...Gnippils si htiaf ruoy wonk ouy..." = "You know your faith is slipping...Weak...Just like your puny God..."**_

_**7) **_**_"Namow hsiloof..." = "Foolish woman..."_**

_**8) "Em pots tonnac doG ruoy..." = Your God cannot stop me..."**_

_**I hope this chapter was to was to your liking. Again, I hope no one was offended by the content in this particular one.))**_


	9. But Not as Much as I Do

**Chapter 9**

**((Sorry it's been so long since I uploaded. I just started school, and trust me, I received a hectic schedule~ XD. But I'm back~! And with a new chappie too! So I hope you enjoy~))**

* * *

_There was giggling..._

_It was gentle and hard to hear, but it was there nonetheless._

_The sound of a child's giggling, except with a lower, sinister pitch..._

_...It was forced, it was nervous, and it was strained..._

_It made the blonde's skin crawl..._

_Sister Helen found herself within the depth of the orphanage, everything covered in an endless black and dead silent._

_All except for that stained, nervous giggling..._

_She trended cautiously, her hand placed gingerly on the wall in search for a light switch._

_She could hear her footsteps echo through that dark hall, the giggling weaving in and out for minutes at a time._

_With each time she took, her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and Sister Helen felt more terrified than ever._

_"..Is...Is anybody here?"_

_The giggling started again, and the blonde became startled as it echoed through her ears._

_Darting her eyes in front of her, the nun's baby blues widen, and she stumbled back a bit._

_There, a door lingered before her._

_It looked innocent enough, the bright pink and yellow flowers decorating the white paint: perfect for a little girl's room._

_It floated in the darkness, a light coming from under it._

_The giggling echoed from behind the wooden frame, its low, sinister tone taunting the fear in the poor woman._

_Yet, despite her mind pleading her not to, Sister Helen stepped closer towards the pretty little door._

_Grasping the brown wooden door knob, Sister Helen braced herself as she turned it slowly._

_The door came alive with a slight creak, and the giggling grew louder, since the door didn't muffle it as much._

_While the light from the room pierced the hall's darkness, Helen felt her heart drop._

_Kathy sat in the middle of the floor, her little back turned towards her._

_Her little shoulders shook with violence as the giggling bubbled out of her, filling the room with such malicious._

_Around her, the nun noticed that the room was decorated with hundreds of pictures._

_Pictures of Kathy and Mister..._

_"...Kathy?"_

_..The giggling stopped._

_Kathy straightened her back and turned to the nun with eerie slothfulness, her big blue eyes hazy and a large smile plastered on her face._

_"..K-Kathy?"_

_"...An enemy of Mister..."_

_A strong hand slammed on the nun's shoulder, making Sister Helen jump with terror. It curled its long, white, bony fingers, almost breaking her shoulder._

_"...Is an enemy of me..."_

_The blonde nun jerked her head back to feel pain sear through her eyes..._

_Then...red..._

A gasp escaped from her lips, and Helen's blue eyes flashed towards the night sky...

Stars littered the navy blue sky like splatters of white dots, and the blonde nun blinked her eyes with slight confusion.

"..What?"

She got up slowly, looking around with a hazy feeling in the back of her head. The darkness surrounded the playground, and owls hooted softly in the distance...

Night time had already fallen...

"...No way..."

The young nun was still foggy in the brain, yet she still managed to shake Sister Anna awake.

"..A-Anna..Anna, wake up..."

Sister Anna opened her eyes tiredly, peering through long strands of red hair to her friend.

"..H-Helen...?"

As she struggled to sit upright, many of the other adults began to awaken as well, stumbling to their feet like infants learning how to walk for the first time.

The blonde nun helped up her redhead friend, who look around the playground with blurry eyes.

"W-Where...Where are the children?" Sister Anna asked softly, straightening up to rub her eyes.

...The children...

They froze suddenly, their eyes losing their blurred visions.

Completely forgetting about their dizzy states, their hearts began to thump in anxiousness again as they began to look around frantically...

They had every right to be afraid at that moment...

The children were missing...

Except for the adults that had once laid scattered on the ground, the playground was completely empty of children.

Every one of them were missing from their previous games and places on the swings and slides.

Sister Elizabeth darted her eyes around urgently, running closer to the playground as fear sent a cold tingle down her spine.

None of them could spot a single child in sight.

"..O-Oh no..."

Father Matthew got up lazily, wincing at the strain on his back; as he focused his gaze to the forest, his green eyes widen with horror.

"...My god..."

The two nuns looked to him with worried expressions, watching as he pointed towards the dark woods.

His whole body began shaking as his mouth went dry.

"...The gate..."

Th adults froze, now looking towards the woods...

Before them stood the once strong, steel gate...

The one they thought could keep the children safely in...

The one they thought could keep the _**evil** _completely out...

But...as they gazed upon the crushed gate, which was bent every which way rather maliciously, the adults felt a child-like fear spread over them...

This wasn't a monster under the bed, in the closet nor even a silly nightmare...

The nuns and priests stood at complete loss, realizing that they could _**not**_ stop this kind of evil...

"Oh god, no...the children..."

Sister Anna bit her lip hard as she hid a bit behind Helen, her big eyes widen.

"H-He took the children..."

Sister Helen looked on, listening to the swooshing of the wind through the dark, plain woods...

He took the children...

He **_took_** the children...

He took...**Kathy**...

"...Kathy..."

Without hesitation, Sister Helen ran forth and disappeared into the woods.

"Helen..Helen, _wait_!"

Sister Anna ran after her, Father Matthew and the others beginning to follow after...

Despite feeling like little children afraid of the Boogeyman...

* * *

Sister Helen huffed lightly as she hurried through the woods.

The tall bare trees towered over her like giants, their branches stretching out and looking eager to grab her.

Her blue eyes were panicked, and her mind was a mental mess.

She couldn't see a single child in sight, and the shadows didn't make it any easier to do so...

The nun gazed up, the moon the only thing serving as a light. But even so, it only did so much...she couldn't see anything nor anyone...

The trees seem to stretch up for miles and miles, looking lumpy and bending in weird angles...

But the nun quickly dismissed this as a voice called out to her through the thickness of the dark.

"Sister Helen!"

The blonde slowed her running and came to a stop. Her breathing was hitched as she looked back, seeing Sister Anna and the others running towards her.

"Sister Helen, you shouldn't have ran in here!" The redhead replied frantically. "I-It's too dangerous!"

"B-but the children...They mustn't have gotten **_far_**!"

Something inside her knew something was wrong...

There was no _way_ that all 50 children could disappear...these woods were so big...

Even if it had only been a few hours, they couldn't have gotten far...

"Please, Helen...We must leave..." Anna tried to grab a hold of her robe, but the blonde stepped back with determination.

"This isn't time for stubbornness, Helen! We must _LEAVE_!"

"**NO**! Not until I find the children! We can't let him _take_ them awa-"

A soft giggle erupted through the darkness...

It was loud enough to make both of them freeze and grow silent.

The giggle was sweet and full of energy, and Sister Helen knew who that voice belonged to.

"..Kathy? Kathy?!"

The blonde wandered a bit farther ahead, Anna reluctantly following after her.

They came to a small clearing, the giggling growing louder as they saw little Kathy alone...

She was playing with a jar, several fireflies blinking and fluttering inside it.

The little blonde girl giggled again, her eyes gleaming with happiness.

"You guys are so cute~"

"Kathy!"

Her big blue eyes met Helen's, and Kathy gave her a soft wary smile...

As much as Mister hated the nun now...She still couldn't bring herself to hate Sister Helen...

"Sister Helen! You're awake!"

The blonde woman ran to her, pulling her into a deep hug and shaking with relief.

"Oh thank god..." She pulled back, narrowing her eyes at the welt on her little cheek.

"...What happened here?"

"Sister Elizabeth did it..." Kathy said sadly.

Sister Helen flinched, her heart thumping a bit more.

_'Sister Elizabeth was here as well...?'_

_"_A-And...Where is Sister Elizabeth now?"

Although Kathy's big blue eyes began to grow dark, her wide cute smile reappeared on her face.

"Mister said we didn't need _**her** _around..."

Anna gave a strangled attempt of a whimper and gasp, and Helen fought the urge to step away from the child.

The redhead's eyes darted to the ground, picking up a gleaming object.

"S-Sister Helen...L-Look..."

They gazed upon the broken cross, dirt and scratches marring its silver shine.

It...It was Sister Elizabeth's cross...

"Mister said we didn't need the _others_ around too..."

"..Kathy.."

The little girl looked up to the other adults innocently, gripping her jar of fireflies in her tiny hands.

They all stared at her with a primal fear...

Something was **_terribly_** wrong, and they knew that...

But they needed to know...They _**just**_ needed to know...

Sister Helen stepped closer again and lowered to Kathy's level, her skin crawling as she placed her hands gently on her shoulders..

It wasn't Kathy that repulsed her...

It was the feeling that encircled the child's tiny being.

The blonde almost choked on her words, and her voice quivered a bit.

"...W-Where did he take them...?"

Kathy let her smile falter altogether, still holding the fireflies closely. Then, her eyes never leaving the nun's, she lifted a tiny finger and pointed upward.

Sister Helen looked up into the darkness, her heart thumping with dread.

She couldn't see anything, but something in her mind convinced her that she should be thankful for that...

Hearing a twisting of a plastic cap, Helen frowned her eyebrows and watched again as the little girl opened the jar.

Dozens of fireflies flew free from their prison, blinking brightly in the darkness and fluttering higher and higher into the sky.

The nun followed the bugs' lights, which went higher and higher and flashed yellow along the bare oak trees.

One little firefly flashed higher than the rest...

Lighting up the face of a dead child...

A strangled gasp escaped from her mouth, and Sister Helen stumbled into Father Matthew's chest.

The young priest quickly grabbed his flashlight, shining upward to reveal a **_horrid_** sight...

Following the light like moths to a flame, the adults began a sudden mixture of screams and cries..

**This**...

_**This**_ is where all the children were...

Each body was impaled deeply into thick, sharply jagged branches, which kept them pinned to the cold bark of the trees...

Limbs dangled slightly in the night wind as blood slowly dripping down the bark like dark, thick molasses...

Their heads were bowed to the audience below, giving everyone a full view of their faces.

The constant yellow of the flashlight danced shadows along the children's features, which were surprisingly relaxed instead of panic and pain...

All pairs of eyes were gazed over in a look of tiredness...

And wide, desperate smiles stayed plastered on their faces, almost splitting their cheeks...

"G-good God in heaven..."

Father Matthew panned the tree tops with the light, the body of each child shifting in and out of the surrounding blackness.

He came to a stop at one body, his green eyes narrowing in misery.

"S-Sister Elizabeth.." He choked out with disbelief.

The older woman was pinned just like the children, but her arms were spread out on either side of her like a dove.

Dark blood stained her robe and ran along her legs like red wine. Her hair was tangled every which way, the branches and bark tugging it from her scalp.

Her eyes were blank like the others, showing more terror and hopelessness in them; blood filled them, seeping along her cheeks like tainted tears...

And her **_smile_**...

It was as wide as the children's...but held defeat and desperation in it, almost as if she was laughing mid-death...

"Sister Elizabeth..."

"They **hated** Mister..."

The adults, now fearful for their lives, gradually gazed at Kathy, who stared up blankly at the cold corpses.

"They all came to him willingly, those _sick _smiles on their faces...they didn't mean _any_ of it..they didn't _**care**_ about Mister..."

She looked at them all, her big blue eyes tainted with something more sinister..

"They all didn't _love_ Mister...not like **_I _**do..."

Sister Helen gazed at the child, not really knowing _how_ to feel...

Her thoughts flashback to what Kathy said long before all this terror occurred...

Before all the carnage...

_"**I'm coming for you**...that's what he always says before leaving..."_

...He was coming for her...

...He _**would**_ come for her...

And he would...**_take_** her away...

The blonde fell to her knees, slowly pulling the child into a deep, fearful hug.

She feared for their lives...She feared for _her_ life...

But most of all..

She feared for Kathy's life...

Feeling tears burn at her eyes, the nun hugged the little girl closer to her chest like she always did...

Kathy didn't hug back...

* * *

**End of Chapter 9  
**

**((I hope this makes up for the days I haven't updated~))**


	10. You Can't Stop My Love

**Chapter 10**

It was weeks since the devastating reveal of the children and Sister Elizabeth's corpses.

Even though it was mid-July, a deep chill had settled within the eerie silence covering the building.

Only a steady few stayed there now, which was tiny compared to the amount of people who once called the orphanage a home.

The warmth of the summer Sun brought the only thing any of them could feel withing their numbness..

The numbness of what had happened deep within those woods...

In total, 51 lives were taken by the dark, powerful force. Their innocent minds were broken and twisted to the sinister needs of a monstrous evil.

After the tragic ordeal, even the heads of the orphanage had grown quieter in a matter of days; now, no one barely heard from them.

They still kept up their usual stern and collective postures whenever they did appear, which was far in-between...

But those remaining knew they were as overwhelmed, if not, more than them.

Not one of the adults could speak to each other after the incident...

Some had even left the place after losing their faith altogether that horrid night...

Not that anyone could blame them...

The deaths of those poor innocent children torn a hole in all of their minds...

They couldn't shake the overwhelming guilt of being helpless...

...Maybe that's how Sister Elizabeth probably felt before dying so cruelly...

Helpless...defeated..._weak_...

She couldn't save the children...

_None_ of them could have saved the children...

They were all gone...

...All except for one child...

...Kathy...

The only child who was horribly manipulated into believing this being...this **_monster_**...was her friend.

She was the only child left in the orphanage...

The only one who could still laugh happily and carefree within its walls.

But even so...Kathy carried a melancholic aura around her...

**_"She tainted.."_**

The few adults who lingered within the halls of the orphanage spoke in whispers when together, and fear hung over their shoulders like thick winter coats.

The child had been tainted by the demonic entity that dared to seep his disease into their safe haven.

He **DARED** to corrupt the innocence of a young child.

A child too small and too inexperienced to know real good from evil...

**_"We must save her."_**

It was decided.

They would save Kathy from this demon.

As tainted as she was, she was still a child of God.

Kathy was still an innocent, whose only crime was unknowingly captivating a monster.

She could be saved...

She **_would_** be saved.

* * *

October came in a matter of days more so than months.

The trees had completely abandoned their leaves and instead adopted a bare, empty look.

Their naked branches reached outward like thin spider legs, entwining and crossing together to create a haunting look.

The ground had become a sea of red, brown and yellow leaves, making crunching sounds whenever someone walked about.

A cold wind traveled through the air, cutting the skin on the nuns' faces.

Sister Anna held a hand to her habit as it blew in the wind and pulled her coat closer towards her body.

The woman's red hair flowed gently along the breeze, long strands dancing and floating around each other.

Her green eyes looked to her friend, who held the rake lazily in her hands.

Sister Helen's blond curly hair flowed only slightly in the wind, snapping back into place at times. Her eyes were a dark blue, and her face was frozen in a trance.

"...Sister Helen?"

The woman paid no attention to the redhead; she stared out into the woods, which stood still and ominous in the distance.

The top of the trees were high in the light blue sky, but going below them, they surrounded the shadowed path that led inside.

Some of the trees disappeared in a shroud of darkness, which tried so desperately to seep out and capture the entire forest.

There was utter silence, save for a light gust of wind through the branches.

"Sister Helen."

The redhead tapped her shoulder softly, making the blonde nun gasp in surprise. She looked to Sister Anna, and the light in her eyes returned.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Anna. I wasn't paying attention..."

"No, it's ok.." Anna gave her a weak smile. "I'm a bit tired myself."

The women went back into the orphanage. Helen sighed as she closed the door, a few leaves entering and dancing along the wooden floor.

"How are the elders?"

Sister Anna unzipped her coat and hung it along the rack. Her eyes glanced to her friend before fixing her messy hair.

"They're jittery at best...but otherwise, they're ok."

"I see...and Kathy?"

Anna paused, lowering her hands to stoke along her side bangs anxiously.

"..No one has gone to check on her. Besides getting food, none of the others want to be around her..."

She looked to Sister Helen, giving her a weak look.

"Father Matthew and I have tried to visit her room...but she only _wants_ to see you..."

"..Oh..."

Helen sighed softly, looking out towards the window. Her faint reflection was weary and distressed...

She just wanted this horror to end...

She wanted Kathy to be safe again...

"I will see what I can do.."

Gently rubbing her shoulder, Helen gave Anna a soft smile. "You should get some rest..."

The redhead nodded softly, watching the blonde disappear down the hall. She too glanced out the window towards the forest...

Before shutting the blinds softly.

* * *

The sounds of her footfalls echoed down the quiet hallway.

It wasn't dark and ominous, but its empty look possessed a ghostly coolness.

All the halls of the orphanage felt exactly like this, making the place more haunted and unwelcoming.

Without the excited pitter-patter of feet and bright joyous laughter, only an air of melancholy floated around...

As she came closer to the end, the hallway made a sharp turn to her right. Leading onward was a deep darkness...

"Sister Helen..."

The blonde jumped as she saw Father Matthew appear from the bend.

He gave her a tired smile, bag darkened under his green eyes.

"I'm sorry to have scared you..."

Letting a soft chuckle escape, Sister Helen reassured him with a smile.

"Oh no, it's fine...but are you alright? You seem terribly tired..."

It was true; his face seem to sag a bit, and his posture slumped down to a defeated stand; it was to the point that he had to lean on the wall for support.

His once handsome face seem to age overnight, taking on the look of an old man reminiscing his youth.

"I'm...I'm just fine, Sister Helen..." Motioning with his head towards the corner, his green eyes seem to grow wearier.

"..She's waiting in there for you..."

Sister Helen lowered her eyes to nod silently, and Father Matthew sighed helpless.

A strangled chuckle slipped from his mouth, and a desperate smile laced his features.

"This will be hard case for me...I've _tried_ all I could..."

Walking past her, he gave her a second glance over his shoulder.

"I hope you can talk to her..."

"...I..will see what I can do..."

He nodded to her and walked off until he disappeared outside.

Looking in front of her again, the nun carefully peeked around the corner, seeing the walls and floor disappear into the seemingly endless black.

_'...Just like my dream...'_

Her eyes refocused, and through the thickness of the gloom, she could see a door.

It made Sister Helen feel uneasy as she walked down the emptiness, the wood creaking interrupting the bitter silence.

She felt wrongful for coming at all, for she knew that what laid ahead may increase the anxiety in her heart.

But she continued to walk further on...

For Kathy...

* * *

She couldn't hear anything from within the room.

Judging from the glow illuminating under the door, the lights were on. But the eerie silence played at her anxious heart.

Sighing softly, Sister Helen lightly knocked on the door.

"Kathy...? Are you ok in there?"

..Still silence.

Giving another knock, harder this time, Helen tried again.

"Kathy, it's me...Sister Helen."

...There was a pitter-patter of feet before the door unlocked. Then the feet hurried back.

Slowly, the nun peered in, the light from the room breaking the darkness of the hallway.

Little Kathy sat on her pretty little bed, hugging a teddy close to her chest.

She glanced at Sister Helen with big blue eyes that once held happiness and cheerful.

But...Kathy wasn't cheerful anymore...

She wasn't happy anymore...

Kathy...had become **_darker_**...

Ever since the death of the children, her demeanor had gradually changed...

The once bubbly six-year old had grown quieter, almost to the point of being mute.

Her once wide big eyes stayed in a distance haze, appearing soulless and damned.

She still wore her bright pretty dresses and did everything little girls loved to do...

But Kathy wasn't herself anymore...

The way about her...was more gloomy and depressing.

The blonde girl kept her gaze on Helen, looking more distance by the minute.

"...Hi Sister Helen..."

"Hi Kathy..." Sister Helen closed the door behind her and gave her a sincere smile.

"How have you been?"

"...Ok..."

Kathy seemed so shy and lonesome, and it broke the nun's heart the more she was there.

Looking to her little table, Sister Helen frowned to see that her food hadn't been touched.

"...Do you not like the food? Sister Anna made it especially for you..."

Kathy shook her head, hugging the bear even more.

"I was waiting for you" She whispered, looking down to the floor. "I want you to eat with me...I think they want to poison me..."

"...And just _where_ did that idea come from?"

"Mister told me...He said that you all wanted to get rid of me...He wants to **protect **me..."

The nun wanted to cry, seeing that this demon had complete control of the child's conscious. Leaning down to her, Sister Helen brushed hair from Kathy's face.

"Well then...I will eat with you..just to show you that there's nothing to fear..Ok?"

The little girl nodded her head, taking the nun's hand into hers willingly.

Sister Helen was the only one she wanted near her...

She was the only one she still loved, despite Mister's wishes...

Sitting the child into her lap, Sister Helen cut up the sandwich prepared for the child.

"You eat one half, and I'll eat the other. Deal?"

The young girl stayed frozen on the nun's lap before she took half of the sandwich.

Kathy watched Helen go first, staring intensively and waiting to see the woman react horribly to the supposed poison in her food.

When nothing happened after a while, the little girl reluctantly took a bite.

"See? Isn't it good?"

The blonde child nodded softly, choosing to remain silent while eating.

After a while, Sister Helen resorted to feeding her, giving the little girl small pieces of the cake laid out for her.

Kathy stayed quiet throughout, but it made the nun relieved when she snuggled closer to her.

The woman sighed softly, resting her chin on Kathy's head as she wrapped her arms around her.

She could only hope she could save the child from this monster...

To free her from _his_ evil clutches...

"..What do you want to do today, Kathy?"

Long ago, Kathy would've eagerly yelled out a cute response, eyes lit up like stars.

But now...now she was like a doll...

Cold, empty...**_lifeless._**..

Helen felt tears swell in her eyes, and she hugged little Kathy closer.

**_"She's tainted"_**

She was losing her..she was losing her to that DEMON...

Tears slid along her face, and Helen felt helpless for a moment...but, gathering enough strength, which wasn't a lot, she wiped the tears away.

_**"We must save her..."**_

She had to stay strong...

In order to save her...

Calming her breathing, Sister Helen peered down to the child.

"Do you...do you want to go outside..?" She asked, choking back a sob.

The child stayed still, and it frightened the nun that Kathy probably wasn't breathing. However, after a long minute, she gave a soft nod.

Sister Helen felt her body relax as she slowly stood up to take her in her arms.

The blonde woman gave her a sweet smile, hiding her fear as she once again brushed hair from Kathy's little plump face.

"Ok then...let's go outside then..."

Kathy stared at her blankly, leaning her head onto her shoulder like a void doll.

The nun felt her smile burn on her cheeks, for she knew it wasn't sincere anymore...

She walked to the bedroom door, opening it again with a subtle creak.

The hallway was still surrounded by darkness, and the bedroom light shone a path towards the break of day farther down.

The nun felt her eyes sag tiredly, taking a step into the lighted path, her shadow stretching along the wooden floor.

When she turned out the light, they both vanished into the depths of the pitch-black...

* * *

**End of Chapter 10**


	11. You Should Join Me, Sister

**Chapter 11**

**((Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been posting much! But I've made it just in time for Halloween month~~!))**

* * *

The creaking of the swings echoed through the empty playground, creating an abandoned feeling.

The cold autumn wind blew swiftly about the place like a gentle wave, going undetected by the woman and child.

Kathy silently swung to and fro, letting her tiny legs flail limply, as Sister Helen pushed her high into the sky.

The nun watched the child carefully while she floated in the air and back, her eyes moving up and down with a touch of blankness.

She allowed a smile to play on her lips though, hoping to appear cheerful for the child.

"Are you having fun, sweetheart?" Helen asked, her voice dripping with a sticky sweetness.

"Yes, Sister Helen..."

As Kathy kicked her little feet, keeping silent and calm, her big eyes lingered towards the darkening forest.

Her hair flowed in the softened breeze, tickling her face; yet, she stared so exclusively through the long blonde strands, eyeing the trees yearning.

"Mister..."

The sudden whisper broke through the thick silence, and Helen's smile faltered; gradually, she gazed in the distance.

No one stood within its clutching depths, as far as she could see. But that didn't stop the nun from feeling wary.

She needed to get Kathy away from here...

"...What do you want to do now, Kathy?" She tried, keeping her beating heart calm.

"I want to walk in the forest."

Those words made Sister Helen choke on her own. There was no way she'd allow that.

She couldn't let Kathy go into the woods again...not where that entity could take control of her mind even _more_.

"S-Sweetie...I'm afraid you can't do that..." The woman said gently, even though her voice still wavered.

"Wouldn't you'd like to do something els-"

"I **_WANT_** to go in the forest."

Kathy gripped the swing, her feet digging into the ground as she came to a halt.

A dark silence hung over them, making the nun feel a bit fearful. When the child turned around, Helen flinched, half-expecting a glare to mar her little face.

Instead, there was only sadness.

Kathy's eyes regain their light again, shimmering with tears. She jutted her lip out, looking like a little kicked puppy.

"Please Sister Helen?" Kathy pleaded, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I _have_ to go in the woods...I **_have_** to see Mister..."

The blonde woman couldn't find her words; she only stared deeply into the sad blue eyes.

Her fear faded to a dull memory, for all she wanted now was for that frown to be gone.

"Kathy..."

"Please Sister Helen? _Please_?"

The nun looked towards the woods and then back to Kathy. A mental battle rattled through her head, sending a headache to her.

She couldn't let him take her away...

Not again...

"...Ok. We can go into the forest..."

The child held her into a sweet embrace, and the nun missed the sweet giggles that began to bubble out of her.

It was like the old Kathy had sprung free of a mental prison.

"Thank you, Sister!"

''...Of course..."

Helen hugged her back softly, feeling like a mother to her child. Yet, tears still lingered along her eyes.

She looked towards the woods again, seeing shadows grow longer and menacing...

Kathy was happy again..

She was back to her old self again...

But only because of that **demon**...

* * *

The forest floor crunched under their shoes. Sister Helen kept Kathy's hand in a tight grip, her body pumping frantic blood.

She feared that her heart would burst from the anxiety that raced through her veins.

But Kathy was ecstatic; she practically skipped along the path, the unnatural darkness not bothering her at all.

Every now and then, cute giggling would erupt from her tiny form, and the little blonde child would look up to the towering trees...

Hoping to see her friend among them...

Kathy kept giggling with excitement, practically dragging Sister Helen deeper into the forest.

"K-Kathy, please." The nun tried to reason, think it was a mistake after all to come in here. "W-We're going to get lost..."

"No, we won't!" Kathy replied cutely, her hand attached to Helen's like glue. "Mister will keep us safe!"

"K-Kathy...he's-"

A sudden rustle stopped Helen in her tracks. She looked up, her vision blurring as the familiar feeling of static assaulted her mind.

Letting a whimper escaped her mouth, the nun bowed her head in pain. The rustling became louder, shaking the woman's entire form.

"S-Stop..."

"...**MISTER!**"

Her heart dropped...

* * *

Sister Helen snapped her eyes open.

She kept her gaze to the ground as she listened to tiny footsteps be overwhelmed by larger ones...

The giggling turned to squealing when the demon picked the child up.

Kathy happily hugged him, nuzzling into his broad chest like a kitten.

"I've missed you so much, Mister!"

The slender giant said nothing, holding her tightly in his clutches; his blank stare glued the woman to the ground, seeing the way she refused to face him.

He glanced back to the child, who casually poked at his non-existing nose with a pout.

"Why so grumpy?"

A dark grunt slipped out somewhere from his being, which only made Helen shake softly.

Her lip quivered violently, her fingers shivering from a freezing touch. It disgusted her so horribly that this beast had Kathy in his arms...

Yet, Kathy giggled sweetly, looking to Sister Helen softly. The childish innocence she often displayed peeked out again.

"Sister Helen!"

The little girl darted her gaze to the towering demon, pointing to the nun excitedly.

"Lookie, Mister!" Kathy yelled happily, seeing this as a perfect chance to introduce her. "It's Sister Helen! I told you about her, remember?"

The wind blew through the silence as Sister Helen held her breath. Her blue eyes stared feebly to the ground, listening with a horrid chill up her spine.

He...**_KNEW _**of her...?

Just then, a deep pressure bounced off her chest, her knees slightly buckling in. The forest floor began to crunch again, approaching footsteps calm and calculated.

With each step, the pressure grew crushing, and the static grew louder...

Her breathing came out in a gasp that choked and struggled in her throat.

Helen squeezed her eyes shut, another whimper slipping from her body when the footsteps ceased. It felt like a 10-ton weight hovered over her...

She could feel him standing right in front of her.

_**Staring**_ her down...

Kathy peered down at her as well with child-like innocence, smiling sweetly.

"C'mon, Sister Helen! Say hello to Mister! He's been _dying_ to meet ya!"

Helen couldn't find her voice.

The immense pressure from the demon rendered her speechless.

She only saw blackness, which was a clammy comfort to not seeing the beast's real form...

Sister Elizabeth had saw him; as a result, her entire sanity was ripped _viciously_ free from her brain...

Helen did not wish for the same thing...

_'J-Just stay calm...don't move a-and maybe he'll go away...'_

"..What do you want?" She tried to say sternly; however, her fear made her reply gently and feebly. "Why are you here?"

A diabolical laughter echoed through her body, a sudden chill making her feel nauseated...

The static still lingered in her ears, buzzing wildly...yet, through the buzzing, she could make out a rough, low voice...

_**"Ees I, evarb eb ot gniyrt~~" (1)**_

Sister Helen's fists shook lightly, hearing the being shift to run around her. She couldn't hear Kathy anymore...

Or rather...

_**"Raed ym, uoy rof kool doog a ton si yrevarb, sala." (2)**_

She couldn't hear the _forest_ anymore...

It was as if her body was floating within a mist of **nothing**...

Alone with this beast to torture her mind...

_**"Em raef uoy...Ti timda." (3)**_

She wouldn't let him get the best of her...She would show him...

She had to be strong for Kathy...

_'I...I can save her...'_

_**"...Reh evas t'nac uoy..." (4)**_

Her heart stopped.

_'...W-What-'_

_**"Enim si luos reh...Enim si yhtaK..." (5)**_

He...

_**''Em pots t'nac uoy...'' (6)**_

He was in her mind...

Sister Helen shook, fear and rage mixing into a revolting crawling feeling.

"You won't get away with this!" She screamed out into nothing, for her voice only echoed into nothing.

"Kathy will never be yours! You will not take her like the others!"

She kept her eyes closed, fearing to gaze upon his being, yet her mouth jerked into a snarl.

"Do you hear me?! Kathy is _NOT_ yours to ruin! You can't have her soul!"

_**"...Then..."**_

A hot chill slithered along her neck.

_**"Your soul will do just as well."**_

Her eyes flew open, and Sister Helen saw that the forest was empty.

Kathy was waving towards the dark opening before them, but nothing could be seen through the thickness of it.

The normal noises of a forest came back...

"Bye mister!" Kathy happily exclaimed. She turned to the woman, a smile plastered on her face.

"See, Sister Helen? Mister is very sweet!"

"K-Kathy..." She walked slowly to the child, her arms heavy at her sides.

"And now he wants to stay with you too!" Kathy smiled wide and excited, jumping up and down.

"Aren't you _excited_!?"

...The nun yanked the child into her arms and ran.

* * *

**End of Chapter 11**

**((Welp! Lemme give ya Slender's lines~~:**

**SLENDERMAN'S LINES**

**1) __****"Ees I, evarb eb ot gniyrt~~" = "Trying to be brave, I see~~"**

******2) **_****__**"Raed ym, uoy rof kool doog a ton si yrevarb, sala." = "Alas, bravery is not a good look for you, my dear."**_

**********3)**_****____**"Em raef uoy...Ti timda." = "Admit it...You fear me."**_

**************4)**_**"...Reh evas t'nac uoy..." = "You can't save her..."**_

**5)**_** "Enim si luos reh...Enim si yhtaK..." = "Kathy is mine...Her soul is mine..."**_

**6)**_** ''Em pots t'nac uoy...'' = "You can't stop me..."**_

**Stay tune, 'cuz more is coming your way~~!))**


	12. We Could Always be Together

**Chapter 12**

The door opened with a sudden bang, the autumn air blowing in lightly.

Sister Anna looked back startled, seeing Sister Helen with Kathy. The blonde nun looked positively exhausted, her chest heaving with silent panic.

Kathy stood by her and held her hand, smiling a bit too wide even for a six year old.

"Hi Sister Anna!" She waved to her, which rendered the woman surprised.

It was the first time in months that the child bothered to speak to her, let alone smile her way.

"Ah...hello Kathy" Anna smiled softly. "How was your day?"

"It was fun!"

The little girl skipped past her, giggles and humming bubbling from her body.

"Oh...? Then what did you do today?"

Sister Helen twitched a bit, dreading the next words from the child's lips.

Kathy stopped short of the entrance to the next hall, her back to them.

Turning around gradually, creepily in the eyes of the blonde woman, the child gave a rather sly and mysterious smile.

"It's a secret~"

The little girl giggled again before running back to her room, footsteps fading in the distance.

"Heh..." Anna walked to Helen, patting her shoulder gratefully.

"I knew you'd be able to snap her out of it."

Helen kept silent, only nodding lightly for an answer. The redhead smiled relieved, walking towards the kitchen.

"How are the elders holding up? We barely hear from them anymore..."

Sister Anna looked back to her, a soft hand on the kitchen door.

"Well...no one has seen much of them since this morning...they're still locked in their studies like usual."

Letting a chuckle slip, she then allowed herself to relax for the first time in months.

"Though...I'm sure they'll be pleased to hear that Kathy is making a recovery..."

"..Y-yeah..."

"Well...I better prepare supper for them. The elders have worked too hard without an appetite."

Sister Helen watched her leave with weary eyes before slumping to the ground.

Her head spun like crazy, a dizzy feeling that slowly became dull to the ache in her chest.

That ache reminded her of the children's bodies...

Of Sister Elizabeth's body...

Of...that _thing_ in the forest...

He still lingered near the orphanage.

And she...she had barely escaped his clutching grip...

While in those damned woods, the nun felt the demonic energy that smoldered him like a sickening odor.

The slender being carried a shroud of death, which could've easily wrapped her in world of darkness.

The feeling of his presence still crept along her skin, and poor Helen felt compelled to bathe herself.

"Such a horrible, **_HORRIBLE_** demon..." She whimpered under her breathe, her eyes losing their light.

_'And Kathy...Kathy **LOVES** him...'_

The nun sat there by the door, pondering for the longest on what the beast was. Never once had she encountered something so seemingly weak...

Yet astonishingly deadly...

She just had to know...

"What...is he...?"

* * *

Hours passed into the darkening night, and Helen found herself isolated within her room.

Her laptop blared in the dimness of the place, the screen reflecting through her blue eyes. She scanned it quickly, watching websites flutter everywhere.

That beast being the topic of every one...

Bearing the name "Slenderman".

Many had claimed to have encountered him and lived, though that very idea was implausible to her.

While she couldn't exactly trust the words of the others, the nun became more aware of his hold on the public...

He was like a **virus**, plaguing the thoughts of all who saw or heard of him.

Some feared him. Some were skeptical of him. Some even had the gall to berate him.

And then there were those who...

**_Idolized_** him...

Others like Kathy who held him in high regards...

They hunted for him...

**Killed** for him...

These "loyal" subjects bathed in his unholiness, willingly and eagerly joining his leagues of the damned.

Despite the deadly fate that would happen inevitably, they were all so **_happy_** to please him...

Bearing an ungodly symbol upon their foreheads...

Arms...

Hands...

Chests...

**Everywhere...**

"...He's...collecting people..."

Sister Helen flicked through pictures upon pictures that continued to pop up, that same symbol hovering around like a religious icon.

To think a simple X in a circle could be associated with a demon itself...

A demon...who no one really knew anything about...

Despite all the theories she came upon, none of them gave her the answers she needed.

Why was he collecting all of these people, both victims and subjects...?

What did he _**want**_...?

The nun kept clicking with her mouse, hoping to find a key answer. Every time, however, she only received more questions than answers...

...Why...was he here...?

"Hawley is such a small town..." She muttered worriedly, typing in another search.

"Why would he want to come here of all places...?"

Helen clicked softly.

Only one result came up for "Slenderman Hawley"

...A news article...

_**"SLENDERMAN STRIKES AGAIN"**_

"...What's this...?"

Clicking on the page, dozens of pictures popped up...

Pictures of the latest victims...

The nun was rendered speechless as she saw the last photos of each victim...

_**"...Amanda Montez and parents were brutally slain last May..."**_

"No..."

_**"Mark Lewis was found within local school, viciously mangled..."**_

"No way..."

_**"The bodies of Donna Conner and brothers Zack and Jim Thomas were found within forest near..."**_

As she read further, imagining the terrifying details that conspired against these poor souls...

And...that symbol staring back hauntingly at her...

Sister Helen understood that the danger lurked beyond the orphanage...

It lurked **_beyond_** Hawley...

This Slenderman...

Was worldwide...

_Anyone_ could be his next victim...

Including Kathy.

"Sister Helen?"

The nun flinched at the sound of the tiny voice. She looked back to see little Kathy by her door.

The child blinked innocently, a soft smile spread on her cheeks.

"I'm ready for my bath..."

"Ah..." The woman shut her laptop, giving her a strained smile of her own.

"Alright then." She said with amazing calmness. "You go on ahead. I'll be there in a bit."

The child smiled wider and hurried down the hall with tiny footsteps.

Left alone in the darkness of her room, Sister Helen sunk into her anxious thoughts.

_'She is not his friend...'_

Getting up shakily, the blonde walked out the door, her heart heavy.

_'She...has become his **prey**...'_

* * *

Helen entered the bathroom, seeing little Kathy sitting on the edge of the tub. The little girl kicked her feet causally, watching as the nun ran warm water.

"Are you ok, Sister Helen?" Kathy asked gently. "You look very sleepy."

"...I-I'm just fine, dear."

The woman dipped a hand into the water to make sure it wasn't too hot. Looking back, she saw Kathy playing with a rubber ducky, giggled happily as it squeaked.

Sadness spread along her heart.

The little girl was so innocent and oblivious...

That beast didn't deserve her affections.

_'I will save her from him...'_ The blonde woman thought determined. _'...I will protect her with all of my might..'_

Like a mother to her baby.

Sighing gently, Helen reached out with welcoming arms.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Let's get you ready."

Kathy complied, laughing ticklish as the nun helped her get ready.

At that, Sister Helen couldn't help but smile, thinking back to her own mother and herself as a child.

It brought about a sudden warmth, almost making her anxiety vanish from sight...

Almost.

Raising her dress, the nun noticed how Kathy flinched lightly even though she smiled happily.

"Owie..."

"...Is something the matter, Kathy?"

"It's nothing, Sister Helen" The child insisted. "I think my hair got caught."

The woman sighed in relief, happy to hear that the girl wasn't hurt.

She fixed the child's long blonde hair and gave her a sweet smile. Then, she leaned in to kiss her forehead with nurturing affections.

"Better?"

"Much better!" Kathy squealed with her arms stretched out wide.

...Helen truly felt like a mother at that point...

She hoped that this feeling would last forever...

The little girl climbed into the tub, turning her back to the nun.

But, as she did so, the woman's maternal smile turned stale, and her eyes lowered in confusion.

...Redness burned at the pale skin along Kathy's upper back...

It was faint and hidden behind the child's hair, but Sister Helen saw it as clear as day.

Reaching slowly, a new type of worry stroking along her spine, she gently brushed the hair away.

Kathy froze, gripping the ducky in her hand and her body twitching in slight pain.

"O-Owie...be careful, Sister Helen" she whined.

But the nun didn't pay her any mind.

She was too busy staring in stunned anxious.

There...

In the middle of Kathy's upper back...

Was that **damned** symbol...

* * *

The bathroom suffocated in a sudden silence, the dripping from the faucet shattering it occasionally.

Sister Helen's eyes were glued to Kathy's redden back, her mouth twisted in growing terror.

That symbol stared back her way with the utmost of evil...

"No..." Helen whispered, carefully running her fingertips along it.

The marking was a deep maroon, skin torn and raw within it. Around it was an irritate red, for the symbol had been carved neatly and precisely.

Spots of crimson stained the nun's fingers, the sticky feeling becoming revolting in a different sense.

Her hand froze over the tender spot as she hears Kathy whimper in more pain.

"Who did this?" Helen asked calmly and sternly, her breathing quickening as well as her pulse.

She tried her best to keep her voice low, but the need to yell was ready to burst forth. She had already known the answer, the she needed to know from Kathy's lips.

"Who **_DID_** this to you?"

"...Mister did it..." Kathy replied softly in a pacifying voice.

The older blonde let her hand tighten into a fist, pulling away as she glared darkly at the symbol.

"Did he now...?"

"Y-Yes...B-but, it doesn't _really_ hurt, Sister Helen! Only...only when you touch it..."

She turned to her, fiddling with her rubber ducky as she smiled sheepishly.

"H-He said it's proof that's we'll be together forever...he said it's proof that he _loves_ me..."

Helen's stomach threatened to lurch as those vile words spilled from the child's mouth.

"I want to be with him forever...a-and, I want _us_ to be together forever too."

The blonde child gave a soft smile, an idea forming in her head.

"Mister _did_ say he liked you too, Sister Helen. S-So maybe...he'll give you one! Then we can **_all_** be together forever!"

With that, she smiled more hopefully, looking at the nun more eagerly.

"Y-Yeah! Wouldn't you like that? It wouldn't hurt to get it, really! Mister will be very gen—"

"KATHY!"

The child recoiled, losing her smile altogether as she watched with surprised hurt; her eyes became more sadden as Helen stood up.

The woman breathed lightly, trying to calm herself.

She...She just couldn't take it anymore...

Fixing her habit and steadying her breathing, Helen gave Kathy a softer look.

"P-Please...that's enough. Just...take your bath and get ready for bed."

Little Kathy lowered her eyes to the water, feeling devastated.

"O-Ok...I'm sorry, Sister Helen..."

The nun stood by the door, feeling the worst for lashing out.

"N-No... It's...It's not your fault...I just...What Mister did was **_wrong_**...He made you _hurt_."

"H-He didn't _mean_ it that wa—"

"Kathy, you're **bleeding**." Helen gritted with suppressed fear.

With a shaken sigh, she opened the door.

"I will go find the first aid kit. I'll be back in a bit..."

"...Will you go to the elders **_too_**?"

The nun stopped and looked back. Kathy stared at her accusingly, her big blue eyes darkening.

"Will you tell them what you saw...?"

Sister Helen gave her a pleading look, slumping her shoulders as desperation shining through.

"I have to..." She whispered in the sudden tensed silence.

"They want to see you alright. Kathy, they care about you...**_I_** care about you."

Kathy stared at her blankly, looking back into the water.

"I see..."

Sighing dejectedly, Helen stepped into the hallway, the mood turning sour rather quickly.

_'I'll find a way to make it up to her later...'_

Behind her, a bitter whisper escaped and slithered along the back of her neck.

**"Mister figured you'd do that..."**

The nun stopped, her eyes widen as she whipped around to stare back.

Kathy gazed into the water, her hair hanging dully to hide her face.

...The bathroom held an eerie silence...

And suddenly, Sister Helen turned to vanished down the hall.

* * *

Footsteps bounced off the walls as the nun hurried frantically towards the south wing.

Father Matthew exited from his study, just in time to watch her rush by and down the hall.

"S-Sister Helen?!"

SiSter Anna saw her from the den, her eyes turning worried as her friend dashed away.

"H-Helen?!" She watched her bolted farther down the wall. "Helen, what's wrong?!"

The blonde woman ran faster, ignoring all who saw all as her mind came to a horrid conclusion.

**_"Have you heard from the elders?"_**

"Oh my God..."

_**"No one has seen much from them since this morning..."**_

"Why...?"

**_"They're still locked in their studies like usual"_**

"Why?"

**_"We barely hear from them anymore..."_**

"Why didn't I **notice** this sooner!?"

Helen ran to the south wing of the orphanage, the door to the elders' meeting room looming ahead.

No one had checked on them for the past hours, for they had constantly insisted to be left to themselves...

The others complied without question,hoping not to disturb their work...

Stopping at the end of the hall, the nun breathed rushed, staring down the door with a feeling of certain doom.

She could hear the footsteps of others approaching, but her thoughts went back to Kathy's ominous retort.

**_"Mister figured you'd do that..."_**

"...He didn't..."

She raced towards the door, her eyes widening with panic as a familiar horrid smell assaulted her nose.

"He _wouldn't_!"

Sister Helen gripped the knob and yanked the door open, choking on the air she breathed.

The elders were there...

They all sat there perfectly still.

Their hands folded neatly in their laps, their bodies around the long meeting table, and their eyes shut as if they were sleeping peacefully.

Except...

The head of each elder...was not their own...

"O-Oh my..."

Helen slumped against the door frame, her body having grown too weak to comprehend the scene before her...

The beast had been clean and precise, leaving almost no blood spilled in the room...

Yet...crimson still flowed from their mouths and noses, staining their chins, and seeping from their necks...

Above them, painted on the white wall like a demonic presence, was that symbol of that bloody beast...

The same symbol that marred the skin of Kathy...

Sister Helen, finally finding her voice, let out a petrified shriek.

* * *

**End of Chapter 12**


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